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However, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Defence Minister Rob Nicholson both left open the possibility Sunday that Canada’s mission in Iraq against ISIL extremists could extend beyond six months.

“The resolution before Parliament is authorizing this limited military action for up to six months,” Baird said Sunday in an interview on Global News’s The West Block. “If it goes beyond that, we’ll turn to the House of Commons.”

Nicholson, in an interview that aired Sunday on CTV’s Question Period, repeatedly stressed the government’s resolution to be voted on in Parliament would see Canada’s CF-18 fighter jets in combat for a maximum six months.

But Nicholson wouldn’t guarantee Canada’s combat mission will end after that time period.

“What we’re asking for right now is up to six months and we’ve been very clear on that,” Nicholson said. “We are going to work in co-operation with our allies, and we want to send out the message that the activity of ISIL is completely unacceptable.”

Pressed again on the issue, the minister would not rule out the possibility the government might come back in six months and say the mission must continue.

“We always have to assess what we’re doing and the resolution is up to six months,” Nicholson said. “These things are never perfect, but we’re on the right track.”

ISIL has been terrorizing various parts of Iraq and Syria for months. The Tory government says ISIL has shown it plans to launch a terrorist jihad against the region and on a global scale.