Vote it up! 1 vote This doesn't worry Mr. Harper.Yet. Public domain (Public Domain)

A UN Environmental Investigative committee is poking about in Canadian dirty laundry looking for alleged failures to meet a Kyoto Protocol deadline on greenhouse gas reporting If true, this could result in Canada being barred from participation in an international carbon-trading scheme. In an apparent effort to initiate dialogue, Canada was informed May 5 that the UN Climate Change Secretariat would be making a list and checking it twice.

The response from the Harper government was complete silence.

Canada and other Kyoto signatories are obliged to keep a national registry of greenhouse gases, but Canada doesn't. The registry tracks holdings of greenhouse gas credits and shows compliance with the emissions targets.

Canada was warned last month that it risked an investigation after missing a Jan. 1, 2007, reporting deadline by more than two months.

The matter was front and centre during question period in Parliament for one whole day during which NDP Leader Jack Layton fronted the attack on Harper's government for its non-compliance. Layton accused the government of of doing irreparable damage to the climate which will affect future generations and of having no bounds when it came to accountability.

Prompting Harper to mutter something about the government being in the process of establishing the registry, admitting Ottawa has been in that process for some time.Environmental groups were quick to point at the UN probe as an indication of how little Canada's Conservative government thinks of its international environmental commitments.

The Kyoto compliance committee, an independent body of legal experts, will meet in late May or mid-June to consider Canada's case. If it finds Canada did not comply with its Kyoto reporting requirements, it could do several things: publicly declare Canada in non-compliance, or order Canada to submit an action plan within three months for getting back into compliance or suspend Canada's right to trade in the Kyoto carbon market.

This case is interesting because it's rare one on which the Harper crew yielded to public pressure and acted to do some image building in even addressing the issue.

Here's why. There are no financial penalties for failing to comply with Kyoto rules and since Canada doesn't participate in any of Kyoto's emissions credits or carbon-trading programs, we as a people committed to right action on the environment have nothing to lose but face.
With an election hovering in the wings, not something Smilin' Stevie can take much more of.