OTTAWA — Environment Minister Rona Ambrose says Canada has paid all the money it owes in support of the Kyoto Protocol, but that's not what UN figures indicate.

At issue is a $1.5-million pledge to support Kyoto's Clean Development Mechanism made by former environment minister Stephane Dion at the Montreal climate conference last year.

The mechanism allows industrial countries to earn emissions credits by financing emissions-cutting projects in the developing world.

At a meeting of the Commons environment committee on Monday, Ambrose said the money had been paid. But she was later contradicted by her own assistant deputy minister.

Asked for clarification in the Commons on Tuesday, Ambrose said no money is owed under the climate treaty.

"I can confirm again what I said at committee that was accurate,'' Ambrose said.

"Canada has met all of our obligations. All of our mandatory obligations under the Kyoto protocol were paid up in full. I have the United Nations document here to prove it if the Speaker would like me to table it.''

It's not clear what document she was referring to.

Bob Klager, Ambrose's director of communications, said the money was a pledge, not a legal commitment, and no money is owing.

However, the $1.5 million is listed as outstanding on the official website of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Klager could not say if the Conservatives are officially repudiating Dion's pledge, saying the matter had not reached the minister's desk.

Emilie Moorhouse of the Sierra Club said the pledge was made in the name of the government and Canada should treat it as a commitment. She said the money would be used to ensure that projects produce verifiable emissions cuts.

Ambrose has expressed great concern about international emissions trading on the grounds that many credits would represent nothing more than hot air.

Canada's pledge is listed in Annex 17 of the report of the 27th meeting of the executive board of the Clean Development Mechanism, a sub-agreement of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

UN officials have indicated in recent interviews that Canada's $1.5 million pledge is vital to speed up processing of projects under the mechanism.