OTTAWA and EDMONTON -- The federal government should consider holding off ratification of the Kyoto Protocol in order to first try to reach more of a consensus with the provinces on how to implement it, former finance minister Paul Martin suggested yesterday. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien is determined to see Canada ratify the agreement before the end of the year, but has been unable to get most provinces to sign on to a strategy to implement its greenhouse-gas cuts.

Mr. Martin said he is leaning toward voting for ratification in Parliament, in a vote expected in early December.

"I have always supported Kyoto and I am inclined to vote in favour of ratification," said Mr. Martin, the leading contender to replace the departing Mr. Chrétien as Liberal Party chief and prime minister.

"That being said, I believe that it is very important, and much more preferable, if we can achieve a national consensus on the implementation plan."

Mr. Martin said he would prefer to wait if it was possible to get the provinces onside.

"If it was possible to achieve, or even make the effort to achieve this consensus, it would be preferable to wait," he said in French to reporters.

Asked again whether he wanted ratification delayed in order to try to build more of a consensus, Mr. Martin said: "I think that every effort should be made for the parties to sit down and to see if a consensus is possible. I think that Canadians are entitled to know the benefits and the costs and I think that every effort should be made to arrive at that level of understanding."

Mr. Martin went out of his way to emphasize that he will live up to the Kyoto treaty after Canada ratifies it. "Let me also say by the way that countries that sign agreements should live up to those agreements."

He said a real consensus would be better, however. "Great national objectives should be achieved as a result of the country coming together and understanding all of the implications."

Mr. Martin's show of support for Kyoto is bad news for critics of the accord such as Alberta Premier Ralph Klein, who had hoped he would rescind the agreement.

Still, Mr. Martin spoke to reporters in a very brief scrum yesterday that left a lot of questions unanswered about how he would handle the global-warming treaty as prime minister.

Environment Minister David Anderson rejected the notion of delaying ratification. The ratification process begins with a debate and vote in Parliament, likely wrapping up by early December. Mr. Chrétien does not need parliamentary approval but would like the backing of the House and is confident a motion on ratification will pass.

Separately, Alberta's Environment Minister said yesterday that a final meeting on Kyoto between Ottawa and the provinces, which was supposed to take place in Toronto on Thursday, has been scuttled.

Mr. Taylor said he spoke with Gordon Balser, Nova Scotia's Energy Minister and co-chairman of the meeting, about rescheduling after Mr. Chrétien responds to a letter sent to him by the provinces last week.

"He [Mr. Balser] suggested once we get their response we can talk about it and determine when we should have a meeting," Mr. Taylor said.

The meeting was to have been the last attempt to agree on an implementation plan before ratification of the treaty.

A wrench was thrown into that plan in the form of the provinces' letter, which asked Ottawa for a written guarantee that it will abide by 12 demands to cushion the effects of the Kyoto Protocol on their economies before they agree to more meetings.

Yesterday, Mr. Anderson said Ottawa has asked provinces for "clarification" of the 12 conditions, but Nova Scotia government officials said they had heard nothing from the federal government.

At a meeting on innovation last night in Toronto, Industry Minister Allan Rock said he is in favour of quick ratification of the Kyoto Protocol.

Mr. Rock said the federal government has had significant consultations with the provinces, industry and other interested parties and now it is time for a debate and vote in Parliament.

"I think Canadians want us to move forward, demonstrate leadership on this issue and that's, I know, what the Prime Minister is going to do."

Bank of Canada Governor David Dodge said the uncertainty created by Ottawa's plan to ratify Kyoto without providing details "is not helpful."

His comments came after an address to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

"We have a lot of uncertainties in the world economy at the moment," he said. "Obviously an uncertainty as to exactly how we're going to deal with Kyoto is not helpful, but in the scale of all the uncertainties, it's simply one more."

Meanwhile, on the eve of unveiling of its anti-Kyoto bill to fight Ottawa, the Alberta government issued a request yesterday for proposals for "green" electricity, which it intends to use for 25 per cent of the power source for government-owned facilities beginning in 2005.

The government wants suppliers of energy that is not derived from fossil fuels -- such as wind, solar, hydro and biomass combustion -- to show that their proposals will help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and improve air quality.

Currently, 0.5 per cent of the government's electricity comes from green power sources.