Canada continued to be on the receiving end of criticism Monday at the UN climate change summit in Bali, Indonesia, because of its position on the issue.
UN climate chief Yvo de Boer, who met with Environment Minister John Baird Monday, questioned Canada's call for developing nations like China and India to accept binding emissions.
"I personally find it interesting to hear Canada just a little while ago indicating it would not meet its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol," said de Boer.
"Now (it's) calling on developing countries to take binding reduction targets."
The focus of the conference is to begin negotiations on an international agreement to fight climate change after 2012 -- when the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expires.
Canada wants the international community to reach a deal by 2009 so that it can be implemented by the time Kyoto expires.
However, Canada is refusing to apply its own binding targets until the big emitters such as the U.S., China, and India do so first.
"We think we need to get all the major emitters on board to ensure that we deliver the goods -- that we get absolute reductions around the world on these harmful greenhouse gases," Baird told CTV's Canada AM on Monday.
So far, the U.S. and China have made it clear that they won't accept binding emission targets.
Baird told The Canadian Press on Sunday that it didn't make sense, for example, to close a coal plant in Ontario and then import more coal power from Michigan.
The end result would be a loss of Canadian jobs and no benefit to the atmosphere, he said.
While Canada is proposing an absolute 20 per cent reduction of Canadian emissions, Baird said without the major emitters any deal will be a failure.
The Tories are proposing a nine-point position paper which calls on all countries to set a pair of targets. The first target is the year in which they plan to stabilize emissions and the second emission target is for 2050.
Canada has 0.4 per cent of the world's population yet produces two per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. It's one of the world's biggest per capita emitters, along with the U.S. and Australia.
Canada and the U.S. emitted about 20 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents per capita in 2004. In comparison, China emitted 3.8 tonnes and India 1.2 tonnes.
McGuinty speaks out
In Ontario, Premier Dalton McGuinty accused the federal Conservatives of "hindering" the fight against greenhouse gas emissions.
"We shouldn't be dragging our feet. We shouldn't be reluctant. We should be ambitious,'' McGuinty said.
"What Canadians want their government to do is lead on this score, and we're not leading -- we're following. Worse than that, we're hindering.''
In a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, McGuinty called for Canada to agree to "deep and absolute emission reductions'' at the conference.
The environment ministers from Quebec and Ontario also urged the federal government Monday to reconsider its position.
"If the U.S. is not willing to sign on does that mean nobody should sign on?'' Ontario's John Gerretsen asked rhetorically, with Quebec's Line Beauchamp by his side.
"We don't like this attitude.''
Climate change initiative
Meanwhile, Baird announced Monday that the government will give $85.9 million over four years to help Canadian communities dealing with the effects of climate change.
As part of the plan, Canada will spend:
- $15 million for research to improve climate change scenarios
- $14 million for a program to assist Northerners in assessing key vulnerabilities and opportunities for adaptation
- $7 million for climate change and health adaptation in northern / Inuit communities
- $14.9 million to develop a pilot climate and infectious disease alert and response system to protect the health of Canadians from the impacts associated with a changing climate
- $35 million for risk management tools for adaptation and to support the development and implementation of regional programs
The plan replaces one that was shelved by the Conservatives when they first took office. Baird appeared to be caught off guard when asked how the program was different from the former one. He told reporters he'd check on the details.
On Sunday, Canada announced a $7.5 million contribution to the Global Environment Facility's climate-change fund -- set up to assist poor countries in the fight against climate change.
The money is on top of the $158 million Canada is spending over four years on the GEF, including $13.5 million on its climate fund.
With files from The Canadian Press
