The latest attack on Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan will lead to further debate on extending the mission, Liberal Defence Critic Ujjal Dosanjh told CTV's Question Period on Sunday.

"Canadian public opinion is already divided," Dosanjh said.

"There's no question in my mind that as more casualties continue to happen, Canadians will increasingly ask more questions. It's appropriate for Canadians to ask questions - they always have. They support our troops. We support our troops. Despite that, there might be questions and we as politicians need to be ready to answer them."

He added that any concerns about the mission will be dealt with when Parliament considers prolonging Canada's military operations in Afghanistan.

"I believe that there is an appropriate time (to raise concerns about the mission), and that would be when the government brings the issue before the House of Commons for an extension of this mission beyond February of 2007," he said.

In a recent poll conducted by Decima Research, 46 per cent of respondents thought the mission is a bad idea, compared to 45 per cent who felt the opposite is true.

It also indicated that 43 per cent of Canadians want troops to return home within the year.

The online poll drew responses from 2,131 people from March 31 to April 4, and is considered accurate plus or minus 2.2 percentage points, 19 times in 20. Results were given to The Canadian Press.

Cpl. Matthew Dinning, Bombardier Myles Mansell and Lieut. William Turner were killed instantly when their vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in the Gumbad region of Afghanistan, about 75 kilometres north of Kandahar.

A fourth solider, Cpl. Randy Payne, died on his way to hospital.

Russ Hiebert, parliamentary secretary to the minister of national defence, said they "made the ultimate sacrifice for a cause worth fighting for."

He also dismissed a New York Times report that local villagers may have helped organize the attack, in response to allegedly intimidating behaviour by Canadian troops.

"The information I've been getting is that anytime Afghans have had contact with our soldiers, it's been very positive experience for both sides," he told Question Period.

"The people of Afghanistan are incredibly pleased with the security and stability that is emerging in their country."

During a news conference at the main Kandahar base on Saturday morning, Brig.-Gen. David Fraser said he knew two of the slain soldiers personally, and praised their efforts in the region.

"Those soldiers were conducting operations to enhance the security of the area," Fraser said. "I had actually been in the area yesterday myself, talking with the local leaders. (They) had indicated that security had improved since we arrived in the area."

Fraser added that soldiers will not be deterred from their mission, and will continue to establish peace in the region.

"Everybody here today is sadder, but we've redoubled our efforts to make sure we provide the hope and security and stability that Afghans expect from the international community," Fraser said.