Canada has only planted 29 million of the 2 billion trees promised by 2030
The federal government is two years and just 29 million trees into its campaign promise to plant two billion trees by 2030, coming in below the goal it set last year.
During the 2019 campaign, the Liberals committed to planting two billion trees this decade, but so far are falling short at nearly 1.5 per cent of the end goal, something they attribute to the years it takes to grow seedlings that can then be planted.
Despite this, Natural Resources Canada says the government is on track, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lauded the project at a tree planting event in Sudbury on Thursday.
Trudeau was joined by Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault and anthropologist and primatologist Jane Goodall to celebrate the area鈥檚 re-greening efforts and plant the city鈥檚 10 millionth tree.
The prime minister called projects like the one in Sudbury an 鈥渋ntegral part鈥 of how the government can reach its tree planting goal.
Spread out over the 10-year commitment, the government would need to plant an additional 200 million trees a year beyond current tallies. That鈥檚 nearly 548,000 trees a day, however, tree planting is a seasonal effort and can鈥檛 be done year-round, instead taking place during four to five months of the year.
Natural Resources Canada set out to put 30 million seedlings in the ground last year, in partnership with organizations and projects vetted by an expert panel.
Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson called the 2021 planting season a 鈥渟uccess鈥 in a statement released last month.
鈥淲e have achieved 97 percent of our planting target and are on track to plant two billion trees over the course of 10 years,鈥 he wrote.
Wilkinson said the government now plans to sign longer-term partnerships so it can ramp up planting between 250 and 350 trees a year by 2026. The lower planting targets in the next few years are meant to account for the time it takes to grow a seedling enough to be planted.
鈥淭he program is working to build a strong foundation by focusing on long-term agreements with tree-planting organizations that will in turn fuel stable demand on nurseries,鈥 wrote Keean Nembhard, a spokesperson for the minister of natural resources, in an email to CTVNews.ca on Thursday.
鈥淎s contribution agreements are signed and purchase orders are made, nurseries will be able to invest in infrastructure and seedling production,鈥 he added.
The goal of the two-billion-tree target, according to the government, is to boost both climate change efforts and the economy, creating thousands of jobs while reaping the benefits of two billion more trees in the environment.
A Parliamentary Budget Office report from January stated the plan to plant two billion trees by 2030 would cost nearly double what the Liberals budgeted.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government鈥檚 three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party鈥檚 popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn鈥檛 be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Tattoos are becoming more common in today's society and, as a result, appear to be more acceptable in the workplace than they used to be.
Kamala Harris accepts CNN debate invitation for Oct. 23, challenging Trump to another showdown
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris on Saturday accepted an invitation from CNN to debate former U.S. president Donald Trump on Oct. 23.
Myths busted and lessons learned: John Vennavally-Rao on his surgery to reverse his ostomy
Twenty-seven year 麻豆影视 reporter and anchor John Vennavally-Rao shares his story of what it was like to have an ostomy bag as part of his health-care battle. 'I鈥檓 grateful for what it did to extend my life,' he writes in a personal column for CTVNews.ca.
New centre-right government in France announced 2 months after divisive elections
The French presidential palace unveiled a new centre-right government Saturday, more than two months after elections that produced a hung parliament and deepened political divisions as France grapples with economic and diplomatic challenges.
Kids are inhaling 'Galaxy Gas' to get high. Here鈥檚 what parents should know
For some young people, a popular method for getting a quick high is by misusing laughing gas 鈥 and lately, that鈥檚 in the form of nitrous oxide from products sold by the company Galaxy Gas.
Conservatives call on Elon Musk to step in after Liberals provide loan to Ottawa-based satellite operator
A $2.14-billion federal loan for an Ottawa-based satellite operator has Canadian politicians arguing about whether American billionaire Elon Musk poses a national security risk.
Housing support for adult children with severe autism is 'absolutely absurd,' say parents
Looking after an adult with severe autism can be a full-time job. Ask any parent who has a child severely affected by autism spectrum disorder 鈥 it鈥檚 a job that can get more difficult as the child becomes an adult.
The small-town Ontario woman caught in Harrods sexual assault 'coverup'
An Ontario woman is among the dozens of people who have come forward to allege that they were sexually abused by London-based businessman Mohamed Al Fayed, the former chairman and owner of Harrods.
How to win the fight with kids over phone use
The end of the day 鈥 when school, extracurricular activities and homework are (hopefully) finally done 鈥 is the window that many kids have for downtime. It can be a struggle to convince them not to go on their phones.
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.