Ottawa’s Promise to Plant 2 Billion Trees by 2031 Unlikely to Succeed: Environment Commissioner

Jerry DeMarco, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, holds a press conference in Ottawa on April 20, 2023. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

The federal government’s promise to plant 2 billion trees by 2030 is unlikely to succeed, says Environment Commissioner Jerry DeMarco, noting that the initiative is less than 3 percent complete after its first two years in action.

DeMarco’s office tabled several reports on April 20 addressing a range of environmental issues, one of which was the “2 Billion Trees Commitment“ (2BT) introduced in 2021 to give ”financial support to organizations to plant trees over 10 years.”