"Without an accelerated pace of climate policy action, Canadian governments are unlikely to meet their own targets," said Len Coad, Conference Board of Canada director of energy, environmental and technology policy. "Not only is policy coordination among governments more likely to reduce emissions at a lower cost, it would help governments to learn from the practices of others."

The conference Board report notes each province has set a 2020 target for emission reductions, but action will have to accelerate or objectives will be missed. A national target of a 17% reduction by 2020 (from a 2005 baseline) and the individual provincial targets are being addressed through a complex, diverse, and opaque mix of instruments and programs.

The report calls for carbon pricing - in the form of cap-and-trade mechanisms or a carbon tax - as an instrument to better coordinate policies.

"A co-ordinated and broad initiative on carbon pricing could contribute to efficiency by providing a single market with a single set of requirements for participation, as well as a greater volume of trading to improve liquidity and establish a price for carbon that reflects a larger market," states the report.