The premiers have started the process towards developing a common renewable energy and energy efficiency strategy, says Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams.
They hope to have the strategy ready by their annual August meeting to be held in Moncton, N.B., he said Tuesday in Toronto.
"Most of the time was spent on energy issues," Williams said.
"We're not developing a climate change plan here. This is not a plan that's going to stand alone, or in parallel or in contradiction to the federal plan," he said.
Williams, who chaired the Council of the Federation meeting, didn't address some of the more controversial issues.
On the agenda was a proposed national plan that would allow industrial polluters to purchase credits from those that met or fell below their emissions maximum.
British Columbia Premier Gordon said he is on board with the proposed plan and will, "encourage the provinces to join us" in an emissions trading program "because we are not waiting."
After discontent was voiced over the federal greenhouse gas action plan, Campbell said the provincial leaders will seek to strike a policy framework under which provinces and territories can act on the environment.
"If we can do that together, that's great. And, frankly, if we can't I think provinces will say `we're going to get on with it ourselves,' '' Campbell told the Canadian Press.
"I can tell you I'm not waiting for unanimity from the provinces or from anyone else.''
Manitoba Premier Gary Doer Campbell agreed that provinces shouldn't wait for the federal government to produce the type of emissions plan they want.
"We see provinces, states and other regional governments taking a lead and not sitting back and dealing with national governments but rather moving ahead because of the jurisdictional authority we have in our province," Doer said during a news conference on Tuesday.
Federal Health Minister Tony Clement said Tuesday that whatever the provinces can do to help will be welcomed, but the premiers should look within their provinces before they criticize Ottawa's emissions plan.
"We have already engaged the provinces and territories with the respect to our plan and we're always looking for new and better ideas," Clement said.
"Some of these provincial premiers need to practice what they preach a little bit. (Ontario Premier) Dalton McGuinty was the premier who went out and said 'I'm going to close the coal-fired plants in Ontario' and hasn't done so."
Clement defended Ottawa's plan to flexibly limit greenhouse gas emissions and said the plan is not just about carbon but will also aggressively tackle other air pollutants that increase lung diseases.
"When you look at the plan and you actually read the plan you will see that greenhouse gas emissions will be going down quite substantially," Clement told CTV.
"In terms of air pollutants, which are a much more important health factor, we have a very ambitious plan to reduce by 50 per cent some of the main pollutants that are found in our air right now."
The focus on climate change began 18 months ago in Banff, Alta., when the council decided to collect information on provincial energy issues and come up with a national energy inventory.
The European Union operates such a system in accordance with its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol.
With files from The Canadian Press
