Tuesday is the deadline for the Conservative government to outline how Canada will lower greenhouse gas emissions under a new law requiring it to meet its Kyoto commitments.

Opposition parties teamed up in February to pass the private member's bill by a 161-113 vote.

Introduced as a private member's bill by Liberal MP Pablo Rodriguez, the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act calls on the government to respect its commitment under the international climate pact.

It also compels the government to submit, within 60 days of the bill becoming law, a detailed plan outlining how Canada will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

The bill received royal assent on June 22.

Under the international Kyoto Protocol, which was signed by Canada under a previous Liberal government in 1998 and ratified in 2002, the country agreed to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by six per cent from 1990 levels by 2012.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said Canada cannot meet its Kyoto commitments.

At the time of the bill's passage, Environment Minister John Baird called it a "toothless tiger" with no consequences or penalties if the conditions of the bill aren't followed.

The government has hinted strongly that it could simply ignore the law, and would be prepared to face any resulting lawsuits or even a non-confidence motion that could trigger an election.

Rodriguez has said his party would be willing to "go to the courts" if the government doesn't implement the requirements of the bill.