QUEBEC — The new leader of the federal Liberals says he won't topple the Tory government over Canada's mission in Afghanistan.

Stephane Dion is refusing to back a Bloc Quebecois threat to introduce a motion of non-confidence if Prime Minister Stephen Harper doesn't overhaul the Afghan effort.

"I don't understand the Bloc's position, at all,'' Dion told reporters in Quebec City.

"It doesn't seem very useful to me to want to bring down the government on that in February as (Bloc Leader Gilles) Duceppe is proposing.''

Duceppe has said he may try to topple the minority Conservative government with a non-confidence motion unless the Afghan operation is "rapidly and profoundly'' revamped to focus on reconstruction instead of fighting.

A Bloc motion could not bring down the government without Liberal help.

The Bloc is looking for an excuse to provoke a quick election before Liberals can get organized, according to Dion.

"We'll prepare for an election, but it doesn't seem to me that Canadians want an election in the middle of winter,'' Dion said.

Harper has accused Duceppe of playing politics with soldiers. Jason Kenney, Harper's parliamentary secretary, said Duceppe would abandon Afghans to the "tender mercies'' of the Taliban.

At a party meeting in Quebec City, Dion named former leadership rival Michael Ignatieff as deputy leader of the Liberal party.

Dion will hand out other jobs to former leadership contenders on Tuesday.