The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that the Ontario government made its first foray into international carbon markets Wednesday after an auction of allowances raised $471-million that will be funnelled into programs aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Globe's Shawn McCarthy writes that Ontario's inaugural joint auction of greenhouse gas allowances with Quebec and California took place on Feb. 21 as part of the province's cap-and-trade programs. The auction comes just months before a provincial election, with the Progressive Conservatives vowing to kill the Liberal's carbon-pricing plan, no matter what its form. The federal government is preparing to introduce legislation that would impose a carbon tax in provinces that do not have a program deemed by Ottawa to meet its standards. Despite the political uncertainty in Ontario, some of the province's largest energy companies were active in the February auction, although there are no details on whether they were buyers or sellers or to what degree. They include gasoline refiners and marketers such as Suncor Energy and Imperial Oil; Enbridge's two natural-gas subsidiaries; and Ontario Power Generation.