Source: The Canadian Press

Leaders of the world’s industrialized powers will try to bridge gaping divides over how deeply to cut spending and with how much dispatch when they begin unprecedented back-to-back G8 and G20 summits Friday.

Sources told The Canadian Press that talks among G20 negotiators on a plan for stabilizing the jittery global economy were stalled. So Prime Minister Stephen Harper, U.S. President Barack Obama and other leaders will have to do some serious negotiating spadework on the economy after their senior negotiators failed to make much progress.

While presidents and prime ministers meet in the relatively remote comfort of a resort in Huntsville, Ont., security officials are bracing for protests in the country’s financial centre of Toronto.

Progress was reported late Thursday on Harper’s signature maternal and child initiative before the G8, but talks among G20 negotiators on a plan for stabilizing the global economy were stalled, sources told The Canadian Press.

Harper will open the G8 in Huntsville, Ont. with an announcement of Canada’s contribution to the maternal and child health initiative. His government’s contribution will be well over a billion dollars.

Haggling continues behind the scenes about whether the G8 communique should include a total G8 figure for the Muskoka initiative, or name each country’s pledge.

Harper’s maternal and child health initiative aims to raise billions for poor mothers and their babies.

G8 members like the U.S., the United Kingdom and France have supported the initiative and there were signs Thursday night that other G8 members like Germany and Russia were ready to pony up at least some cash.

But there appeared to be little progress at the larger G20 negotiating table as sources said there was no agreement on a plan to repair the world’s economy.

Last minute talks were yielding little in the way of substantive agreement and issues like the global economic recovery, financial regulation, international development and climate change were up in the air, sources said.

The G8 leaders are to spend just a day and a half in Huntsville, then are to come to Toronto to Saturday night to join the larger G20 meeting.

The lack of any agreement on major issues would likely cause angst among Canadian officials, already under domestic criticism for the high pricetag of hosting the two summits, estimated to be at least $1.24 billion.

Although it was doubtful the leaders would see or even hear much about them, protesters were expected to come out in force for all three days of the summits in both Toronto and Huntsville.

Anti-poverty protesters are planning a demonstration in Toronto Friday while development group Oxfam also plan to hold a demonstration in Huntsville.

A heavy police presence is preparing for the possibility of violence, particularly with the Toronto demonstrations.

They are expected to learn Friday if one of them are allowed to use one of their much touted weapons, sound cannons.

An Ontario superior court judge was to rule on a call by civil liberty groups to ban the devices, which make a loud beeping noise similar to the sound made by smoke alarms.

The Civil Liberties Association said the cannons could lead to permanent hearing loss, but police said they were safe if used from a distance.

Police want the right to use the cannons to broadcast messages to large crowds if protests get out of hand.