ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — New Democrats made an attempt Thursday to grab the spotlight by calling for an immediate halt to Canadian troop deployments in Afghanistan, only to take a step back from the proposal hours after it was floated.

Roughly 2,000 combat troops are headed to the war-torn country over the next couple of months.

While the NDP supports the current mission, "there should be no new troops beyond what has been scheduled," Karl Belanger, a spokesman for NDP Leader Jack Layton, told reporters in the back of the campaign plane Thursday night.

The statement contradicted the party's position earlier in the day, which favoured a halt to the deployment while Parliament debated the matter.

The reversal could does defuse potential international concern about Canada's commitment.

Ottawa approved the mission in southern Afghanistan months ago, involving troops from several NATO countries.

Layton was asked directly during a campaign stop in St. John's, N.L., why he favoured an immediate halt to the build-up of Canadian troops.

There has been no formal public debate -- or declaration of war, he replied.

"Canadians need to have a debate on whether they want Canadian service personnel to become deeply involved in an initiative that's pressed forward by (U.S. President) George Bush,'' said Layton.

He said he doesn't want the country to drift into a war blindly or secretly.

The confusion over whether the party favoured a halt to the current deployment prompted a 20-minute delay in Layton's plane from Newfoundland as he sat in his car in frantic cellphone contact with party's war room.

At first, staff, including Belanger defended the position, until strategists sorted out what they meant by "new troops.''

The initial deployment of Canadian soldiers to the region was mostly a humanitarian mission under the umbrella of the United Nations, but Layton said the nature of the mission has changed.

Troops are expected to take part in combat patrols in the mountainous country surrounding Kandahar and Defence Minister Bill Graham has been warning the public for months to expect casualties.

"We believe the prime minister owes Canadians an explanation of the goals of this mission, of the commitments we would be making and of what the withdrawal plan there would be, and then there should be a discussion in Parliament,'' Layton said.

There has been what's called a take-note debate in the House of Commons over the hazards and pitfalls of the upcoming mission.

But a defence analyst said it fell far short of a full public airing, something that should happen, but not necessarily in the context of an election campaign.

"I think Mr. Layton's call is political,'' said David Rudd, president of the Toronto-based Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies.

The fact he's making an issue of it now "is an admission that opposition parties have failed in their responsibility'' to tackle an important issue, he said.

Even if the matter were brought before the House, Rudd said he's "worried about the quality of that debate.''

When the question of Canada's involvement in strategic missile defence made it to the Commons "there wasn't a great deal of literacy by members of Parliament" on the issue, Rudd said.

Layton "has more confidence in Parliament than I do in terms of conducting an in-depth, free-ranging examination of our role in Afghanistan," said Rudd.

The NDP leader denied the statement was an attempt at headline-grabbing in a campaign that has seen more daily attention focused on the Liberals and the Conservatives.

On Wednesday, three Canadian special forces soldiers were wounded in operations in southern Afghanistan, the first known casualties within the highly secretive Joint Task Force 2 in the southwest Asian country.

One member of JTF2 was listed as stable at a U.S. military hospital in Germany while the others were treated for their injuries and returned to their unit.

The injuries and NATO's decision Thursday to formally sanction 6,000 combat troops for southern Afghanistan forced him to speak out, said Layton.

Earlier, in Dartmouth, N.S., Layton promised seniors that the NDP would work to improve their lot.

He said he would negotiate with any future minority government -- Liberal or Conservative -- to put $1.5 billion into home care and long-term care.

The NDP plan would create a $1 billion annual transfer to the provinces to expand home-care services, which would allow seniors to stay in their own homes while receiving supervised care.

It's estimated the program would affect 100,000 households.

Layton said he would also phase in a $500-million plan to create as many as 40,000 long-term care spaces over four years.

Improving home-care services is important because it would free up hospital beds, Layton said.

Opinion polls have repeatedly suggested that health care remains Canadians' top priority.

Layton's plane, which was supposed to land in Windsor, Ont., on Thursday night, was diverted to Ottawa because of bad weather.