Prime Minister Stephen Harper has assurances from U.S. President George Bush himself that the United States will provide the 1,000 troops required to keep Canada in Afghanistan if no other countries come forward, CTV News has learned.

A government motion has been put before the House of Commons to extend Canada's mission past 2009 until the end of 2011, provided that NATO reinforces the Canadian contingent with additional troops.

"It's time that others also take up some of that heavy work and do the heavy lifting required," Conservative British Columbia MP Ed Fast said in question period.

Of the NATO military family, only four of the nations stationed in Afghanistan are in the south and two of those -- the U.K. and Canada -- do the lion's share of the fighting.

"Why not the rest of the NATO family participate equally?" asked Liberal Ontario MP John Cannis.

NATO has about 42,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, 14,000 of who are American. Canada has a force of about 2,500 in Kandahar.

"They sent them down to Kandahar, the most dangerous place in Afghanistan, without a vote," said Conservative Ontario MP Gary Goodyear.

News of the behind-the-scenes agreement between Canada and the U.S. came as a French newspaper reported that France may be sending hundreds of ground troops to eastern Afghanistan to help NATO-led forces.

The move comes amid appeals from Canada for its NATO allies to provide troop reinforcements in the more dangerous southern region of Afghanistan.

The Le Monde report said the French move is part of a new Afghan policy being worked out by President Nicholas Sarkozy.

France has just under 2,000 troops stationed in Afghanistan, but most of those are located in the relatively-calm capital of Kabul. The fresh troops are expected to be placed outside of the capital, closer to the dangerous areas surrounding the Pakistan border.

Canadian officials have had talks this month with Paris about supporting Canada's mission in the volatile-region of Kandahar.

CTV's South Asia Bureau chief, Paul Workman, spoke to Canada AM from Kandahar and said that the Canadian military will probably be disappointed that the French troops won't be assisting their mission.

"The Canadian Forces leadership might consider it a setback," Workman said of the report.

But Workman said there could be a bright side, with the French troops allowing for the possibility of freeing up American forces to be assigned to the Kandahar region.

The Le Monde report said that Sarkozy would make an official announcement of France's extended military commitment at a NATO summit in April.

Since his election victory in May, France has sent more combat aircraft to Kandahar and has strengthened French efforts in training the Afghan army.

Poland, which lost two soldiers today, won't publicly commit to the southern region of Afghanistan either.

"In the end I'm sure NATO will find some solution to support Canadians in Kandahar," said Polish Ambassador Piotr Ogrodzinski."

With a report by CTV's Lisa LaFlamme