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Support for the Afghan mission hasn't waned, despite a deadly September in which 10 Canadian soldiers have been killed, Canada's chief of defence staff said Monday at the end of his visit to Afghanistan.

"I think they believe that we have a responsibility as the rich and luxurious and caring nation that we are to help in other places around the world where the populations don't have any of those benefits or advantages or rights," Gen. Rick Hillier told reporters at Kandahar air base before boarding a plane to return to Canada.

A recent poll by Decima Research suggested 59 per cent of Canadians consider the mission in Afghanistan a lost cause.

Canada's foreign affairs minister has dismissed a new poll that suggests a solid majority of Canadians consider the military's mission in Afghanistan a lost cause.

The Decima Research survey, published Monday, showed that 59 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement that Canadian soldiers “are dying for a cause we cannot win.”

“You know, polls are like flags — they change in the wind,” Peter MacKay told reporters in Halifax late Monday.

“What I'm most impressed with is that Canadians have supported our troops. How they have demonstrated the deep understanding of the commitment, the sacrifice, made by the men and women of the Canadian Forces.”