Canadians could be going to the polls without a clue as to the cost of the mission in Iraq, but opposition critics say it could range between 500 million to a billion dollars.

Defence Minister Rob Nicholson responded to two questions in the House today stating that the cost of the mission will be released either 90 days after the mission is completed in April, or when the departmental performance report comes out.

When the question was put to his department, his press secretary, Johanna Quinn, would not say if the department would be sure to release figure before the election, just that they “will report the actual costs for OP IMPACT through existing Parliamentary mechanisms.”

But, with the current six-month mission likely to be extended in April, that leaves few options for informing voters.

“I think there’s a high probability that the government won’t disclose the estimates mission until after the election, and so that raises of the question of what are they hiding?” asks Liberal Defence critic Joyce Murray, who tabled one of the order paper questions that Nicholson evaded.

“Other countries that are partners of the coalition with fighter jet combat roles have been providing since day one the estimates of the daily or weekly or monthly costs and Canada has completely refused to do it. Worse, they may be hiding something. What is it?” she said.

While the cost is under wraps, the particulars of the mission is coming out in trickles. According to Nicholson’s response yesterday, as of November 25 there had been 111 sorties, 72 of which included runs by CF-188 Hornet fighters, 21 by CC-150T Polaris aerial refuelling aircrafts and 23 reconnaissance missions by CP-140 Aurora aircrafts.

When asked for the cost outright, his response was this:

“With regard to (b), cost estimates are dynamic and evolve with the refinement of planning and operational requirements. Estimates are updated regularly to support planning efforts and decision-making, and therefore any estimate provided would be inaccurate.”

According to Murray, that total could range anywhere between $500 million to $1 billion and with no clear indication whether or not this comes from the current department of national defence budget or from a separate line.

NDP defence critic Jack Harris also asked for the cost and received the same vague answer.

“They always use slippery wording, but they’re supposed to be transparent. They have those figures and they should be releasing them but they’re not, for obviously political reasons,” said Harris.

“They’re just showing contempt for Canadians.”

Murray said that the prime minister and minister of defence lost credibility when the nature of the mission came under question following the revelation by National Defence officials that Canadian troops have exchanged fire with ISIS militants while on the front line training Iraqi troops. That news flew in the face of the mission parameters defined by both Prime Minister Stephen Harper and General Tom Lawson, chief of defence staff, last fall.

“All coalition troops on the ground in Iraq are being used in the same role — advise and assist, but not accompany, and not engage in direct combat. It’s very important that it’s Iraqi soldiers who do that,” said Lawson in October. Last week, Lawson said the facts on the ground had evolved since he made that statement.

Harper himself said of the Canadian Forces mission on September 30: “It is to advise and to assist. It is not to accompany.”

“It’s definitely an undermining the public’s trust,” said Murray.

“I put it to them then in regaining that trust should also include releasing the cost estimates of the mission.”