OTTAWA — Environment Minister Jim Prentice said Canada is finally abandoning its controversial ‘intensity target’ scheme for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Speaking to a Commons committee, Prentice outlined how Canada will cut emissions 20% below 2006 levels by 2020.

“We’re talking about a cap and trade system ... that involves absolute emission reductions, not intensity targets,” Prentice said. “There is no suggestion that we are talking about the kinds of intensity targets that you might have seen in Turning the Corner.”

Under Turning the Corner, the government’s previous climate change plan, the Tories proposed to force intensity targets on industry.

These were widely criticized because while they required industry to reduce emissions for every barrel of oil, car or tonne of steel produced, they didn’t limit how many barrels of oil or cars could be produced. Critics said this was effectively a licence to increase greenhouse gas emissions without limit.

On Thursday, Prentice said the Tories will now harmonize their plan with the U.S. scheme and set “absolute targets” that put a limit on overall emissions from industry.

“It’s about time,” NDP Leader Jack Layton said. “It looks as though common sense is finally arriving.”

peter.zimonjic@sunmedia.ca