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Harper facing problems over Kyoto

Opposition members of the Canadian parliament forced through legislation that requires the Conservative government to meet its stiff commitments under the Kyoto accord to combat global warming.

The bill leaves Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the sticky situation of either respecting the Kyoto accord or facing a possible vote of no-confidence, which if lost would trigger new elections.

The government calls the Kyoto targets unattainable and dangerous to the economy.

The Liberal Party bill passed 161-113 in the House of Commons on Wednesday, setting the stage for a possible constitutional challenge. The bill is expected to swiftly pass through the Senate, as the upper house is dominated by Liberals.

The Tories have suggested the government would simply ignore the bill if it became law, but constitutional experts have said the government must respect laws passed by Parliament.

The bill gives the government 60 days to table a detailed plan for meeting Kyoto targets to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 6 percent from 1990 levels. It also compels the government to set fines or jail terms for businesses and industries that over-pollute.

"They are bound to it. It's the law of the land," said Liberal Party MP Pablo Rodriguez, who sponsored the bill.

If the Harper government did not respect the law, "we go to the courts," Rodriguez said.

The 1997 Kyoto pact requires 35 industrial nations to cut their global warming gases by an average 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.

Under the protocol -- signed by Canada under a previous Liberal government in 1998 and ratified in 2002 -- the country agreed to reduce emissions by 6 percent from 1990 levels by 2012.

The Tories argue Kyoto could cost C$10 billion (US$8.5 billion) to implement and that if the bill is passed, it could force the government to spend money against its will.
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