OTTAWA (CP) - It would take until at least 2010 to regulate large polluters under the Conservative government's new Clean Air Act, according to a leaked internal document.
The document describes a four-year consultation process that would precede actual rules to cut emissions from large industrial emitters. The proposed Clean Air Act, to be introduced Thursday, is the centrepiece of the Conservatives' "made-in-Canada" environment agenda. The document - labelled "notice of intent" - suggests it will be largely aligned with U.S. regulations.
It says the government will seek advice on the feasibility of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent to 65 per cent from current levels by 2050, but does not set any short-term targets.
Environment Commissioner Johanne Gelinas said in a report this month that short-term targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions are essential.
The notice says the ministers of environment and health will lead "detailed consultations with provinces, territories, aboriginal peoples and other stakeholders . . . on the development of proposed regulations to reduce industrial emissions" before short-term targets are set.
Initial provisions will enter force by the end of 2010 and the rest "as soon as possible thereafter."
The document indicates that new regulations will be "consistent with" or "at least as rigorous" as those in the United States.
NDP Leader Jack Layton, who obtained the document, said it shows the government is letting big polluters off the hook.
"The government promised action. What we have here is delay. Many of the measures are not kicking in until five years from now.
"In some cases we're promising to match the standards set in Washington. This is hardly what you could call a made-in-Canada solution. It's a Xerox copy of a made-in-Washington solution, delayed."
Matthew Bramley of the Pembina Institute noted that the previous government held extensive consultations on regulation of large industrial polluters.
"We've just been through three solid years of consultations. There were hundreds of meetings from 2003 to 2005.
"The government simply has not grasped what scientists are saying about the urgency of dealing with climate change."
In the first phase of consultations, to be completed by next spring, the government intends to decide on an overall regulatory approach, including short-term targets for cutting emissions.
In the second phase, continuing until the end of 2008, the government intends to discuss regulations for individual industrial sectors.
The notice also promises energy efficiency regulations governing an array of products, from industrial coatings to appliances, to align with more stringent U.S. standards.