CA-CANADA Summary (Reuters)

Analysis: Canada's Kyoto withdrawal began when Bush bolted

OTTAWA (Reuters) ? Canada's widely criticized withdrawal from the Kyoto protocol ends a decade-long saga that began in earnest when former President George W. Bush walked away from the global climate change treaty in 2001. The close links between the two economies, and the fact the United States has a population almost 10 times larger than that of Canada, meant that Ottawa ultimately felt it had to follow Washington's lead and ignore the diplomatic fallout.

Canada energy regulator lax on pipelines: watchdog

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Canada's energy regulator has failed to make adequate checks to ensure pipeline operators fix safety problems uncovered at their facilities and keep emergency procedures up to date, the country's Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development said on Tuesday. In a report to Parliament that raises serious questions about the safety of moving dangerous goods through pipelines and along highways, Commissioner Scott Vaughan also said the federal environment ministry has been lax in enforcing regulations and slow to deal with shortcomings in training of officers.

Canada household debt swells to record high

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The debt burden on Canadian households rose to a record high in the third quarter as mortgage and consumer credit increased but the net worth of households fell, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday. The ratio of household credit-market debt, which includes mortgages, consumer credit and loans, to disposable income rose to 150.8 percent from 148.5 percent in the second quarter.

Canada, out of Kyoto, must still cut emissions: U.N.

LONDON (Reuters) - Canada still has a legal obligation under United Nations rules to cut its emissions despite the country's pullout from the Kyoto Protocol, the U.N. climate chief said on Tuesday. Christiana Figueres also said the timing of Canada's move, a day after a deal to extend the protocol was clinched at a U.N. summit in South Africa, was regrettable and surprising.

Canada pension deficit understated, think tank says

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's unfunded employee pension obligations are C$80 billion ($77.7 billion) more than the federal government has previously revealed, according to a report from a high-profile think tank. The market-friendly C.D. Howe Institute said on Tuesday that liabilities for federal government pension plans total C$227 billion, far more than expected in a recent official update.

Analysis: Canada grain sector wary of Wheat Board battle

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - A wary Canadian grain industry will ease cautiously into signing forward price contracts for the prized 2012 wheat and barley crops, as legal entanglements over Ottawa's plan to end the Wheat Board's marketing monopoly hamper any swift moves into an open market. A Conservative government bill is set to end the Canadian Wheat Board's monopoly on western wheat and barley sales next August. The change would shake up the industry, creating an open market and leaving the CWB a smaller, optional grain buyer.

Government bans veils during citizenship ceremonies

OTTAWA (Reuters) - In a move likely to increase tension with Canada's Muslim minority, the government said on Monday it would bar all women wearing face coverings from taking part in citizenship ceremonies. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said he had received complaints from citizenship judges and parliamentarians about veiled women taking the oath to formally become Canadian.

Watchdog, Ottawa differ on Canada's budget balance

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's budget watchdog sees the federal government's structural balance as at least C$10 billion ($9.71 billion) lower per year than Ottawa estimates, and called for more disclosure of assumptions and methodology used in drafting forecasts. The Parliamentary Budget Officer said the discrepancy was likely caused by different estimates on how the economy is performing at any given time in relation to its potential to grow. Miscalculations can lead to bad policy decisions, it suggested.

Crosby out indefinitely with concussion-like symptoms

(Reuters) - Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is out indefinitely with concussion-like symptoms and there is no timetable for his return, the National Hockey League's (NHL) biggest drawing card said on Monday. Crosby, who missed the last two games as a precaution, did not practice with his team on Monday and told reporters after that he has had symptoms for the last couple days.

Congress cannot accelerate Keystone decision: State Department

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department warned on Monday that a plan by congressional Republicans to fast track the Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL pipeline decision would violate environmental laws and force it to withhold approval. "Should Congress impose an arbitrary deadline for the permit decision ... the department would be unable to make a determination to issue a permit for this project," the State Department said in a statement.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/environment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111213/wl_canada_nm/canada_summary

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