Using procedural tactics, two opposition parties in the House of Commons successfully delayed by some four hours a scheduled four-day debate on ratification of Kyoto, which will almost certainly end in a vote they will lose.

The Liberal government of Jean Chretien, who will be leaving office in February 2004, has promised to ratify the 1997 pact by year-end. It is virtually guaranteed to win its way with 169 of the 301-seat House of Commons.

The vote is expected by the end of the week.

Under Kyoto, Canada is committed to cutting its greenhouse gas emissions by six percent by 2010 from 1990 levels.

Critics charge ratifying the 1997 pact will lead to thousands of job losses and a drop in economic growth because Canada's largest trading partner, the United States, has opted out of it, which, they say, will put Canadian industry at a disadvantage.

According to a study done for the Canadian government, under a worst-case scenario Kyoto could cost as many as 244,000 jobs over the next several years and hurt growth by 1.6 percent, or some 17.6 billion dollars (11.1 billion US dollars).

Business groups, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce say the pact will lead to a 2.5 percent drop in the GDP and trigger some 450,000 jobs losses.

In the shortened debate Monday, the right-wing and right-of-centre parties argued that Canada could not -- and should not -- ratify Kyoto until every Canadian knew what it would cost.

One after the other, the leaders of the right-of-centre Progressive Conservative Party and the right-wing populist Canadian Alliance raised points of procedure, which must be treated in preference to any motion on the table.

The Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives only hold 63 seats and 14 seats, respectively. Added to the Liberal government's already strong hand is stated support from two other left-of-centre parties.

Environment Minister David Anderson, presenting the government's defense, argued that this was a work-in-progress with only one certainty: that everyone knew that something had been done quickly to resolve the crisis of glob al warming.

"The unusual weather patterns of the past 20 decades are entirely consistent with the predictions of the meteorological climate research centres," he said.

Climate change, Anderson continued, meant that sub-Saharan African countries now expected to lose 40 percent of their staple food supplies before the end of the century and "the same is true for Asia."

However, despite the certainty of victory in the House of Commons, the debate is guaranteed to continue in Canada.

Under Canadian law, the federal government is responsible for ratifying -- or not -- international conventions such as Kyoto; however, provincial governments have the sole authority to regulate industry to force compliance with Kyoto.

Many of the premiers of Canada's 10 provinces have voiced strong opposition to ratifying the pact, including Alberta's Premier Ralph Klein who has introduced a challenge to its ratification in the western oil-rich province's legislature.

Since 1990, some provinces like Alberta and Ontario have continued to see their greenhouse gas emissions climb, while others like Quebec have contained them. They fear they will carry a heavier burden than other provinces.

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