WINNIPEG — Canada's top soldier says he feels the military has the support of all parts of the Canadian government for the mission in Afghanistan.

Gen. Rick Hillier says soldiers serving overseas ask for very little other than having the right equipment and support from the government - which Hillier says he knows they have.

Speaking Saturday night in Winnipeg at a fundraising dinner for a centre that helps military families, Hillier made no mention of his warning a day earlier that the Taliban are watching the political debate in Canada about the mission for signs of weakness.

That comment drew the wrath of NDP defence critic Dawn Black, who said Hillier was trying to inject fear and intimidation into a democratic debate about the future of the Afghan mission.

Canada currently has about 2,500 soldiers in Afghanistan, most of them near Kandahar. A parliamentary vote on whether to extend the mission is expected in March.

Hillier did not speak to reporters following Saturday's speech.