A Harper spokeswoman downplayed the reports in The Globe and Mail newspaper and elsewhere, telling AFP that Canada had never confirmed its attendance at the meeting.

Genevieve Desjardins said that after Canada attended an European Union event at mid-year it did not consider another event this soon as necessary.

Harper informed Finnish President Matti Vanhanen, who holds the rotating EU presidency, that he would not attend the November 27 meeting in Helsinki, according to media reports.

Desjardins however said that Harper telephoned Vanhanen and said Canada likely could take part in an event early next year.

According to the Globe and Mail, the decision was made because a discussion of Kyoto targets was expected to be on the agenda.

Europeans have been highly critical of Ottawa on the climate change treaty.

Harper opened the door Wednesday to opposition changes to his proposed Clean Air Act, which was widely criticized by environmentalists over its low targets for cutting greenhouse gases.

Harper agreed to send the bill to a parliamentary committee for review after New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton said he might otherwise try to topple the minority Conservative government.

The bill, introduced in mid-October, proposing to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 65 percent by 2050, based on 2003 levels.

The draft law would also apply intensity-based targets until 2020, allowing emissions to continue to rise until then, which prompted environmentalists to accuse Harper's government of stalling on efforts to curb global warming.

Canada had agreed under the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to six percent below 1990 levels by 2012, but a recent environmental audit found emissions had instead increased by 26.6 percent.

Hundreds of demonstrators turned out in Canadian cities Saturday to push for action from governments on climate change.

Between 22,000 and 25,000 protesters converged on central London Saturday as part of global protests calling for urgent action from world leaders to tackle climate change, police and organizers said.

Ahead of a United Nations climate change conference in Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday, British Prime Minister Tony Blair's government was urged to help negotiate a deal to keep global warming to less than two degrees Celsius.

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