Details of Canada's Approach on Climate Change
Date: 07-Jun-07
Country: CANADA
* Canada's former Liberal government, which was in power from late 1993 to January 2006, signed the Kyoto Protocol and committed the country to cutting emissions of greenhouse gases by six percent from 1990 levels by 2012
* The Liberals produced two plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions but neither was fully put into place
* Current Canadian emissions are 35 percent above the target level and look set to keep climbing as energy firms excavate oil-rich tar sands
* Canada's ruling Conservatives -- who took power in 2006 -- have close ties to the powerful energy industry in western Canada, home to the tar sands. Ottawa says implementing Kyoto on time would cripple the economy
* The Conservatives unveiled draft legislation in October 2006 to cap emissions by major polluters but not before 2020 at the earliest. It also vowed to cut those emissions by between 45 percent and 60 percent of 2003 levels by 2050
The legislation triggered so many protests that Ottawa allowed a special parliamentary committee to rewrite it. The result was a much tougher document which committed Canada to sticking to Kyoto. The Conservatives have abandoned the bill
* In April 2007 the government produced a new plan which would oblige major emitters to start cutting the intensity of their emissions by 18 percent no later than 2010 and two percent a year beyond that annually
Ottawa said this would bring emissions 20 percent below 2006 levels by 2020 and said it aimed to cut 2006 emissions by 60 to 70 percent by 2050
The government said the plan could cost as much as 0.5 percent of gross domestic product a year, or up to C$8 billion (US$7.5 billion), but would not cause major job losses
(US$1=$1.06 Canadian)