The federal environment minister said Monday that he wants to make Canada an international environmental leader — but said his plan hinges on soon-to-be-introduced industry emission regulations rather than compliance with the Kyoto Accord.

The targets of the international treaty to cut greenhouse-gas emissions — which Canada ratified under a previous Liberal government — are neither realistic, nor realizable without serious economic consequences, John Baird said after a speech in Montreal on Monday.

Under Kyoto, Canada agreed that by 2012, it would have reduced greenhouse-gas emissions to levels that were six per lower than in 1990.

"We've gotta be honest, we can't promise things we can't deliver," Baird said Monday. "The previous Liberal government sank Kyoto. They had no plan."

Baird is expected to announce a plan of new regulations this week that would force 700 of the largest industrial polluters in Canada to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases.

The emissions regulations are to be part of the larger response by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative government to a revamped version of their environment bill, now called the clean air and climate change act.

Their original clean air act, first tabled in the House of Commons in October 2006, was widely condemned by the opposition.

In first reading version, there was no mention of the Kyoto Protocol and  no hard caps on greenhouse-gas emissions until 2020 or 2025, although the government said it would seek to cut emissions by 45 to 65 per cent by 2050. Also, emissions regulations on large polluters did not take effect until 2010.

The Conservatives turned it over to a special Commons committee for revision through the winter and the opposition parties made more than 100 amendments. They include requiring the government to make regulations to set hard targets for industry to cut greenhouse gas emissions to six per cent below 1990 levels, starting in January 2008.

Baird says still weighing response to amended act

On Monday, Baird said the federal government was still weighing its response to the amendments. But he vowed that the Conservatives would introduce the toughest measures yet seen in Canada.

Baird has declined to say whether he will bring the altered bill before Parliament for a vote.

It wasn't the first time that Baird and the Conservatives have said it isn't realistic at this point in time for Canada to try to meet its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol.

On Sunday, following an Earth Day tree-planting activity at a school in Ottawa, Baird told CBC News that his plan would be "reasonable" and take into account the health of the economy.

"Listen, if Kyoto could be implemented very easily with no cost, the Liberals would have done it years ago," he said.

Baird was sharply criticized by environmental groups last Thursday after he appeared before the Senate environment committee and said the only way to meet Canada's obligations under the Kyoto Protocol would be to manufacture a recession.

Baird criticized a private member's bill, introduced by Liberal MP Pablo Rodriguez and passed by the Commons, that would require the federal government to honour Canada's commitment under the Kyoto treaty.

Baird said the bill was a "risky, reckless scheme" that would cost 275,000 Canadians their jobs by 2009.