ABSTRACT
Canada found itself in a good position when negotiations leading to the Kyoto Protocol started with COP 1 in 1995. In the case of the formulation of the Canadian Kyoto target, it seems that where clear rules for inclusiveness were missing, domestic participatory structures were unlikely to exist. In the 1980s, Canada had positioned itself as first mover and developed the first national climate change policies. Basic accountability structures can be found in a hierarchy which was established at the beginning of the 1990s to deal with climate change. Between 1995-1997, developments were not focused on making substantial and far-reaching policies, but on very few events, especially Kyoto Protocol target. Between 1995-1997, the whole process was centred on Joint Ministers Meetings (JMM) making the most important decisions and, consequently, provincial and federal governments had an influential role. "The principle mechanism was the federal-provincial one", which dominated, especially in the form of JMM as executive-based sort of participatory structure.
