A new U.S. administration presents Canada with an opportunity to come up with key environmental policies that mirror those of its southern neighbour, the federal environment minister says.

Speaking at the Commons environment committee, Jim Prentice said Thursday that Canada will seek the same approach on issues, including cutting greenhouse gas emissions and setting fuel emission standards, as the U.S.

“At this point in history there is an enormous opportunity to work together as North Americans, to achieve real focused and concerted progress on the environment and to eliminate areas where environmental policy across the board isn’t harmonized,” Prentice told reporters after the hearing.

Prentice told the committee that “under a more open-minded administration” an agreement could be reached on a cap-and-trade-system, a policy the Tories outlined in their own environmental plan.

That plan would impose regulations — caps — on industries in selected sectors, forcing them to reduce their emissions intensity. If their emissions were over the target, they could buy domestic offsets or credits from other companies whose emissions were below target.

U.S. President Barack Obama favours an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

But opposition MPs were concerned that a new North American policy would mean the government would have to set aside environmental rules they’ve been drafting for more than three years and wait for the Obama administration to come up with their proposed regulations, CBC’s Margo McDiarmid reported.

“We counted 18 references to President Obama in his testimony, in his questions today, and not a single time did he mention the name of the prime minister,” Liberal MP and environment critic David McGuinty said.

“So it’s curious, because at one point I began to ask myself whether minister Prentice was working for Prime Minister Obama.”

The Tories goal has been to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent from 2006 levels by 2020. The plan also calls on cutting emissions by 60 per cent to 70 per cent by 2050.

The Obama administration has said its plan is to get U.S. emissions down to 1990 levels by 2020. As well, the administration is looking to cut overall emissions 80 per cent by 2050.