Environment Minister Rona Ambrose expects productive meetings at the climate change conference in Nairobi this week, despite her admission that Canada will not meet its Kyoto emissions targets.

During an appearance on CTV's Question Period Sunday, just hours before her departure for Nairobi, Ambrose said Canada still intends to meet a number of its obligations set under Kyoto, and still intends to be a productive part of the process.

"We're on track to meet all of our obligations under the Kyoto Protocol but not the target," Ambrose said.

"There's a number of obligations that Canada has under the Kyoto Protocol for international programs, but in terms of domestic measures, the measures that we've put in place here in Canada up to this point, before a Conservative government, we are not on track to meet our target."

Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, also appeared on Question Period on Sunday, via satellite from Nairboi. He said he believed Canada could still meet its obligations by 2012.

"I have heard that Canada still stands by its commitment under the Kyoto Protocol," he said. "I have heard indirectly that the Canadian prime minister and the minister of environment have indicated that Canada will have difficulties achieving its Kyoto target, but I still see Canadians participating at this conference in a very active and constructive way."

De Boer didn't seem willing to acknowledge that Ambrose has all but ruled out any possibility of meeting the goals by 2012. He pointed out there are still five years before the deadline, and suggested it's too early for countries to give up.

"I am concerned by this indication on the part of the Canadian government that the target is difficult to achieve, but I'm not at this stage of worry yet where I see Canada or indeed any other country backing away from the protocol."

Ambrose, however, said that while Canada intends to stay involved with Kyoto, past Liberal government inaction has put the country way off track on meeting its targets.

"We're 35 per cent above the target. That is way out of line with where Canada should have been. We should have had measures in place years ago to address climate change, and we didn't," Ambrose said.

"What Mr. de Boer is reflecting is exactly what Canada has always said, we need to be forthright, we need to confront this issue. Canada is in the protocol, we are being constructive, but we're also being realistic."

Environmentalists and the opposition parties have slammed Ambrose for the government's new Clean Air Act, which sets no short term targets for reducing emissions, but puts a greater emphasis on cutting down air pollution.

During the interview, Ambrose stated several times that Canadians can be proud of the legislation, which she will be bringing to Nairobi with her.

She said the Act establishes regulations on emissions and air pollution for the first time, after the Liberals signed on to Kyoto only to watch greenhouse gas emissions rise by more than 30 per cent.

All of the opposition parties, as well as Quebec Premier Jean Charest, have said they intend to send representatives to the conference to make it known that Canadians don't all agree with Ambrose's plan. However, it's likely they will have to promote their positions out of the limelight, without the opportunity to speak officially at the meetings.

Ambrose said she isn't worried about their presence at the meetings, however, and doesn't think it will affect her message. In fact, she said she invited the opposition critics, and the minister from Quebec, to be part of the Canadian delegation.

"The opposition makes a lot of noise back here at home, and that's their role. But we have the support of the international community. We are not isolated. We stand with every developed country, having many of the same challenges, many of the same criticisms and many of the same issues that we think need to be focused on."

Ambrose pointed out that 15 other Kyoto members are also having trouble meeting their targets, and said the Kenya meetings are an opportunity to reassess the Kyoto process. She described it as a "first international step in the right direction to deal with climate change" but said it's time to take a second look at what is working, and what isn't.