Germany, hosts the meeting of G8 leaders next week and, backed by the EU States (we assume that at least strategically) wants the group to agree on a series of fixed targets and timetables for cutting emissions. The United States disagrees, and wants such language excised from the final communique. Japan does not subscribe to any timetable unless there is participation by the US, China, and India.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Canada cannot meet targets for emissions cuts set out by the Kyoto climate change protocol and does not answer when pressed  by opposition politicians as to whose side he would take at the G8 summit.

“In order to have a post-2012 effective international protocol, we need to have all major emitters, including the United States and China, as part of that effort. Canada will be working to try to create that consensus,” he told Parliament.

Kyoto committed Canada to cutting emissions by 6 percent of 1990 levels by 2012, when the first stage of the international treaty runs out. Canadian emissions are now 32 percent above that target.

Washington walked away from Kyoto in 2001 on the grounds that it would hurt the US economy and unfairly excluded such a heavy emitter as China.

Leaders of all three Canadian opposition parties said they suspected Harper would back US President George W. Bush at the summit - thus leaving the Germans only with the EU and some Democrats in UN Congress.  “I have a lot of concerns that the government will be siding with the Bush administration instead of supporting the German presidency to be sure that (the) G8 will help humanity to fight climate change,” said Stephane Dion, the former Canadian Environment Minister at the time of the UNFCCC COP in Montreal, and who heads now the Liberal’s Party effort to topple the government..