Two news stories released today highlight how increasingly unlikely it is that Canada will meet its commitment to reduce greenhouse gases and meet its international commitments. The Winnipeg Sun reports that greenhouse gas emissions in Manitoba reached record levels in 2007. This report mirrors the trend across Canada. Reductions of greenhouse gases between 2004 and 2006 were wiped out in 2007 as industries capitalized on a commodity boom to increase production. As was reported here last month, the National Energy Board does not foresee reductions in Greenhouse gases as likely anytime before 2030.

Meanwhile, according to the Winnipeg Free Press, Canada is delaying the implementation of the new rules to reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions by another six years .

Environment Minister Jim Prentice sounds like a proverbial school-boy as he searches for excuses on missing yet another climate change deadline. We started too late to meet the Kyoto targets. Then, he must wait for the Americans to release their plan (that has a familiar ring, no?). Now, he complains that developing regulations for industry is too “complex,” for him to complete by 2010. We can only hope that Prentice does not arrive at the international climate summit in Copenhagen in December with ripped up attaché case, saying “sorry, my dog ate my climate action plan.”