Canada has planted only 8.5M of 2B trees promised by Trudeau so far

According to government data, 7.6 million of the 8.5 million trees planted since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made his pledge were in British Columbia.

The federal government has planted less than half a per cent of the two billion trees it pledged to put in the ground across Canada by 2030, The Canadian Press has learned.

Figures obtained through an access to information request show 8.5 million trees had been planted as of mid-November, representing just over 0.4 per cent of what the Liberals have repeatedly promised.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the pledge during the 2019 election campaign, and the goal was repeated during the government’s 2020 throne speech setting out policy objectives.

It asserts the two billion trees would help Canada meet its climate-change targets while creating roughly 4,300 new jobs.

Despite the sluggish start to the tree-planting effort, the Ministry of Natural Resources said the program isn’t falling behind.

“There will be about 30 million trees planted by the end of this year. Tree planting as part of this program will continue to ramp up,” said Joanna Sivasankaran of Natural Resources Canada.

“Partners” have pledged to grow those 30 million trees, according to the department, which has not yet received or validated all the figures.

Green MP Mike Morrice said the disclosure that only 8.5 million trees have so far been planted was “incredibly disappointing” but “not a complete surprise.”