TORONTO — Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative government are "hindering'' the global campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions when Canada should be leading the fight, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty charged Monday.

McGuinty said privileged countries like Canada have a responsibility to deal with a climate change problem they helped create, but complained that the Conservatives are allowing greenhouse gas emissions to increase with their so-called intensity-based approach.

"We shouldn't be dragging our feet. We shouldn't be reluctant. We should be ambitious,'' McGuinty said.

"What Canadians want their government to do is lead on this score, and we're not leading -- we're following. Worse than that, we're hindering.''

McGuinty timed his attack to coincide with the United Nations conference on climate change in Bali, Indonesia, and flatly rejected the Tory position that Canada won't sign any deal to cut emissions unless large, developing countries like China and India also sign on.

"I think it's a tiresome debate for us as Canadians to be saying, `You know, the Chinese and the Indians aren't there yet,''' McGuinty said.

"Well, most of the stuff that's up there is the result of emissions produced by the developed world.''

The Liberal premier sent a letter Friday to Harper severely criticizing the Conservative government for its approach on climate change and calling on Canada to agree to "deep and absolute emission reductions'' at the conference.

"Your government has continued to work on an intensity-based approach that will see Canada's emissions increase, not decrease,'' wrote McGuinty.

"I call upon you to develop a plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions ... one that effectively addresses the root causes of this threat to our environment.''

Environment Minister John Baird responded from Bali by criticizing McGuinty's plan to close Ontario coal plants only to import more coal-generated power from Michigan, saying it won't reduce greenhouse gases, but it will cost the province jobs.

Canada's position at the UN summit came under fire from all sides Monday, including Yvo de Boer, the head of UN climate change, who wondered how a rich country like Canada could fail to meet its Kyoto targets and then demand that China and India adopt binding emission cuts.

At the same time, Ontario Environment Minister John Gerretsen and his Quebec counterpart, Line Beauchamp, made it clear to delegates in Bali that Ottawa does not speak for Canada's two largest provinces -- which represent almost two-thirds of the Canadian population.

The Conservative government contends any climate deal without China, India, and the United States would be useless to stem emissions, and it's willing to hold out until it gets one.