The reports were submitted to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in late December with no announcement or press release. At the same time the reports were being filed, Prime Minister Stephen Harper indicated his government was delaying for two years long-promised regulations to reduce emissions from booming oil-sands projects.

In contrast, U.S. President Barack Obama laid out a plan last summer, including regulations on new and existing coal-fired power plants, that would largely meet the U.S. 2020 commitment, which is the same as Canada's.

Canada's emissions between 2020 and 2030 are predicted to climb by 81 million tonnes, taking Canada 11 per cent above 2005 levels – notwithstanding a new round of international climate negotiations aimed to find further global reductions from the 2005 base year.