fbpx
Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Trudeau gov backpedals on ‘two billion trees’ program

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
-

The Trudeau government is now saying its “two billion trees” program never actually aimed to fund the planting of two billion trees, but is instead a part of other government initiatives aimed at meeting the tree planting goal.

Back in 2019, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter): “We’ll plant 2 billion trees over the next ten years. That’s it. That’s the tweet.”

His post came as Swedish climate advocate Greta Thunberg was in Canada, urging the government to take further climate action.

In 2020, Natural Resources Canada launched a $3.16 billion tree planting plan aimed at planting two billion trees in ten years.

“Today, the Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, launched the Government of Canada’s plan to plant two billion trees over 10 years, with an investment of $3.16 billion,” reads the government’s 2020 press release.

“Meeting this commitment will help Canada address climate change by reducing carbon pollution and is a key part of Canada’s efforts to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.”   

The Trudeau government is, however, now saying that the tree planting fund is only part of a larger initiative to plant two billion trees as the fund fails to reach its targets each year.

A Natural Resources Canada spokesperson told Le Devoir that “other federal departments and agencies, including ECCC [Environment and Climate Change Canada], Infrastructure Canada, Parks Canada and Veterans Affairs Canada, have also funded and/or supported the planting of additional trees in Canada on a smaller scale.” 

“These efforts are part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to plant 2 billion trees.”

Fifty-six million trees have been planted through the government’s tree planting program since 2021. However, Le Devoir reported that the Trudeau government added 54 million trees planted as a result of Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Low Carbon Economy Fund (LCEF) to the count. Bringing the total to 110 million.

The tree planting program alone was supposed to plant 90 million trees in the first two years – an objective which it failed to meet.

Minister Jonathan Wilkinson claimed in a CBC that his government has always been clear about plans to include other government programs in tree count calculation.

“I mean, at the end of the day, I am not sure Canadians care if some of the trees come from Low Carbon Economy or some come from other programs,” said Wilkinson. 

The government has however received criticism for its latest backpedaling. 

Environmental and Sustainable Development Commissioner Jerry DeMarco described the government’s conduct as “creative accounting” in an interview with CBC.

“It’s certainly within their prerogative to do that,” he added. “But to achieve the benefits for climate, biodiversity and human health, adding trees is needed. Not simply finding trees and other programs that have already been planted and saying, ‘Oh, this now counts, we’ve got a higher number than anyone expected.'”

Opposition politicians have also criticized the government.  

Calgary Centre Conservative MP Greg McLean told CBC, “let’s admit to Canadians what this is. This program was a bit of a virtue-signal in the first place.” 

Meanwhile, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh accused the Trudeau government of breaking another promise. 

As previously reported by True North, DeMarco’s office had delved into the tree planting program’s performance during the initial two years, and had found the government was falling well behind its goals and not even four percent of the promised trees will be in the soil by 2030. 

“It is unlikely that the two billion trees program will meet its objectives unless significant changes are made,” he explained. 

With files from True North’s Cosmin Dzsurdzsa.

Iranian opposition group dismisses state media claims of relocation to Canada

By
Andrew Lawton
-

A group of Iranian dissidents is taking aim at what it calls “nonsense and lies” from the Iranian regime regarding its activities.

The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK), an Iranian opposition group based in Albania, says Iran’s state media is trying to wedge the Canadian government to take a position on the MEK.

According to the MEK, media outlets affiliated with the Iranian regime have published stories suggesting there are efforts underway for the MEK to relocate its members from its Albanian headquarters to Canada.

“The leaders of the terrorist group of the Hypocrites (MEK) are making the preparations for the transfer of the members of this group from Albania to Canada,” said one article in Iran’s Tasnim News Agency. “This decision was made after the intense pressure of the Albanian government and their failed negotiations with France to transfer there.”

The article claims the MEK’s leaders are “making arrangements for the departure of the members” from Ashraf-3, the name of their headquarters outside Tirana, Albania.

Members of the Iranian opposition movement in Canada reached by True North had heard nothing of any such plans, outside of the reports in Iran’s state media.

The MEK says there is no truth to the reports.

“The nonsense and lies of the clerical regime (which were widely published today and yesterday in the state media in Iran) regarding the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran wants to come to Canada from Albania is solely for the objective of forcing the Canadian government to take a position, and in our opinion, is not worth responding,” said Shahin Gobadi, an MEK press spokesperson.

The Canadian government has issued no statement on the reports. The MEK was previously designated as a terror organization in Canada, but this designation was revoked in 2012 alongside a similar move by the United States. The Iranian regime still regards the MEK as a terrorist group and regularly prosecutes its members.

The MEK and its parent organization, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, are prominent advocates for regime change in Iran, attracting bipartisan support in Canada, the United States, and many European countries.

Study found 49% increase in patients who are dying while on surgery wait list

By
Quinn Patrick
-

Data analyzed by a think tank found the number of Canadian patients who died while awaiting surgery has increased by 49% year-over year. 

The analysis was presented by SecondStreet.org, a research group launched in 2019 to focus on the effects of government policies have on Canadians’ everyday life. 

Analysts found that in the fiscal year from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023, 2,096 patients died while awaiting surgery – in the previous fiscal year that number was 1,417 patients.

The research group has been gathering data on waiting list deaths nationwide since 2020. SecondStreet.org recently challenged Ontario Health to make more of their data regarding the issue available and won their case through Ontario’s Information Commissioner. 

“Some will blame this on COVID, but health care in Ontario was in a crisis situation long before COVID. We’re seeing some positive health reform in the province, but there’s more work to do.” said Colin Craig, president of SecondStreet.org.

Data from the same year-over-year comparison also revealed that deaths of those waiting for a diagnostic scan (MRI/CT) have also risen by 27% and cardiac surgical wait list deaths are up by 17%.

“Government data shows that despite spending more and more money, there has been a steady increase in waiting list deaths in Ontario over the past seven years,” said Craig.

For example, Ontario spent an average of $4,057 per patient on healthcare in 2015/2016 and by 2022-23 the province spent $5,400 per patient, according to data from Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). That is an increase of about 8% higher than the rate of inflation. 

The CIHI also noted that Canada spends, “among the highest internationally” on healthcare compared to other OECD countries like France and Germany.

“The Ontario government’s decision to partner with private clinics is a positive step that could help address this problem,” said Craig. 

“When Saskatchewan partnered with private clinics, their wait times went down substantially. Ontario could also let patients choose between using the public system or paying for health care at non-profit and private clinics. That would take pressure off the public system and would save patients from having to drive to Quebec or the United States for timely treatment,” he added. 

Electricity Canada CEO doubts feds’ claims about clean power regulations

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

A sustainable electricity distributor group has expressed doubts about the Liberal government’s claims that the recent Clean Electricity Regulations would help build the low-carbon energy infrastructure Canada will require.

Electricity Canada CEO and president Francis Bradley recently told DailyCommercialNews that the proposed draft regulations “don’t do anything at all” when it comes to building. 

“With respect to making it easier to build things…It doesn’t do anything at all to help build things any more rapidly. It doesn’t help us build now,” said Bradley. 

While Bradley said the regulations were an “important piece” of decarbonizing Canada’s electricity grid, he believes the $400 billion price tag to retrofit Canada’s grid for lower-emissions cited by the federal government was a gross undervaluation.

According to Bradley, the retrofit will likely cost Canadians as much as $2 trillion. 

“It’s not a number that I’d seen previously. It’s a smaller number,” said Bradley. 

“If we can do what needs to be done for $400 billion, I think that’ll be great news, but I’ve seen previous research by the Conference Board of Canada that estimates the cost in the vicinity of $1.7 trillion.”

The draft regulations were unveiled by Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault last week. They will require provincial governments and the private sector to meet a net-zero target of 2035 – a timeline Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has called a “fairy tale.” 

Earlier this week, Smith vowed to stick to her province’s target year of 2050 and said she would not be complying with the federal government’s demands. 

“We agree with the broader goal of decarbonizing the electricity grid and getting to carbon neutrality. We have a plan to get there by 2050. It’s our emissions reduction and electric energy development plan. But a 2035 target is not attainable,” said Smith. 


Smith said complying with the federal plan would lead to blackouts and a spike in the cost of electricity for residents. 

“Ottawa’s own forecast expects electricity demand to double between now and 2050. As it is now, Canada’s electricity grid, including Alberta’s, can’t handle the increased load that is coming. And the draft regulations will severely threaten the reliability of the our power grid even more, leading to potential blackouts that would be devastating,” said Smith.

RCMP seize drugs, weapons, after traffic stop in Hinton, Alberta

By
Quinn Patrick
-

RCMP officers seized several weapons and a large quantity of drugs, including fentanyl during a routine traffic stop in Hinton. Three people were arrested and one man has been charged. 

On Aug. 5, RCMP officers in the rural town of Hinton, Alberta stopped a vehicle and discovered drug paraphernalia and a bag that appeared to contain drug residue. 

Police then searched the vehicle and found 28 grams of methamphetamine, 102.2 grams of fentanyl, 10 shotgun shells and two Karambit curved knives. 

Of the three arrested only one has been charged, Nathan Paul, 36. 

A resident of Hinton, Paul has been charged with two counts of possession with the intent to traffic, breach of release order and breach of a probation order. 

According to RCMP, the other two suspects have charges pending against them.

Paul was remanded into police custody and will appear in Hinton court on Wednesday.

China grants more countries approved travel status but excludes Canada

By
Quinn Patrick
-

Canada has been omitted from China’s list of approved countries for travel tour groups, according to a recent statement from their government. 

On August 10, the Chinese Foreign Ministry added an additional 78 countries to their list of countries approved for package travel and group tours; however Canada did not make the cut. The list is used by travel agents to arrange international travel for mainland Chinese citizens. 

The removal from the list is China’s response to how, “lately, the Canadian side has repeatedly hyped up the so-called ‘Chinese interference’ and rampant and discriminatory anti-Asian acts and words are rising significantly in Canada,” wrote the public affairs office from the Chinese embassy in Ottawa. 

The statement went on to say, “The Chinese government attaches great importance to protecting the safety and legitimate rights of overseas Chinese citizens and wishes they can travel in a safe and friendly environment.”

Chinese tourists are a major player in international tourism, making up 20% of all tourist spending worldwide. In 2019, Chinese international travelers spent $255 billion, according to data from the World Tourism Organization. Of that 20%, the bulk of Chinese tourists travel with tour groups, making up around 60% of tourists.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Chinese mainland tourists made up the majority of arrivals from the Asia-Pacific region and were at one time Canada’s largest market for money spent by international travelers, according to Destination Canada. 

Canada hadn’t always been approved by the Communist Chinese Party (CCP). Liberal industry minister David Emerson attempted to get the CCP to grant Canada “approved destination status” (ADS) in 2005. The federal government switched to the Conservative Party that year however and Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he wouldn’t sacrifice human rights in the name of the “almighty dollar.” Harper eventually secured ADS for Canada as tensions cooled, following a 2009 visit to Beijing. 

The economic power of China’s ADS is one way that the CCP can advance their political agenda as it brings other nations enormous revenue in travel spending. 

In 2010, the CCP approved group tours in Canada which were then estimated to generate around $100 million annually for Canada’s tourism sector and the country saw about 50,000 tourists coming from China each year. 

The 2018 detention of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s executive, led to rising tensions between Canada and China, resulting in two Canadians citizens being detained by the CCP in retaliation. 

The pandemic which followed shortly thereafter, saw the end of China approving all travel groups for international destinations. 

China’s recent list of countries granted ADS included the United Kingdom, Germany and many of Canada’s other Western allies. Even the U.S. was included, despite the diplomatic hardships the two nations have faced in recent years. 

Other nations had already been approved in January of this year like Argentina, Cuba, Russia and Thailand. In March, 40 more countries were added to the list including, Brazil, France, Portugal and Nepal. Canada’s opposition parties are calling for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to take a strong diplomatic stance against the CCP in lieu of allegations that they may have interfered in the 2019 and 2021 elections. There have also been allegations of the CCP harassing Chinese citizen’s living in Canada. In addition to that, the abusive treatment and forced labour of minority groups residing in China like the Uyghurs has brought increased tensions between the two nations.

The Daily Brief | Trudeau’s immigration targets lead to higher inflation: economist

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

An economist with Scotiabank has blasted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s immigration targets, saying Trudeau’s immigration levels are causing high inflation levels.

Plus, a Canadian powerlifter, who is a biological man and identifies as a woman, has set the unofficial world record in women’s powerlifting at Canada’s national championship.

And as Canada’s housing crisis worsens, nearly a quarter of Canadian builders reported having to cancel projects this year due to red tape and current economic conditions.

Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Lindsay Shepherd!

SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY BRIEF 

National Housing Accord calls on Trudeau to lower taxes to build more homes

By
Quinn Patrick
-

The National Housing Accord is calling for an “industrial strategy” from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau regarding Canada’s housing crisis. 

The new report entitled, A Multi-Sector Approach to Ending Canada’s Rental Housing Crisis, suggests that the federal government reduce taxation and create cheap financing to entice home builders into reaching a target of 2 million new rental units by 2030. 

The recommendation to encourage builders to take on new projects comes at a time when 22% of home builders are canceling projects due to red tape and high interest rates, according to a separate report by the Canadian Home Builders Association (CHBA).

The multi-sector approach was put together by three experts on housing, Tim Richter of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, Mike Moffatt of the Smart Prosperity Institute and Michael Brooks of Realpac. 

“Millions of people — particularly those with the lowest incomes — are facing rapidly rising housing costs, driven significantly by an extreme lack of supply of the right types of rental housing,” it states.

The report said that in order to change the current housing dynamic, it’s crucial for the government to introduce these new measures within the next several months.

Canada’s rapid population growth has exacerbated the already overburdened housing market and the report estimates that the homebuilding rate must triple for the situation to be remedied. 

Cities like Toronto and Vancouver are dealing with the fastest growing rent increases they have seen in decades. The demand greatly outweighs the supply and rent is at an all time high nationwide.

This has led many younger Canadians to lose faith in the Liberal government as they worry about the cost of living and their futures. Recent polls show a decline in support for Trudeau amongst younger voters. 

The report calls for a total of 5.8 million new homes to be built over the next 7 years with 2 million of those new homes to be built for the purpose of renting.

To carry out this target, federal, provincial and city governments would need to cooperate on a strategy to work with both public and private builders. Additionally, they would also have to work with the nonprofit housing sector, investors and labour.

The report asks for the Trudeau government to reform the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp fees and make amendments to the tax code to ease the current strains on rental housing. One example of this would be to eliminate sales taxes on new capital investments for apartments. 

Quebec energy minister says number of cars will need to be reduced by 50%

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
-

Quebec’s energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon said on Monday that the number of cars currently on the road will need to be reduced by 50% to help facilitate a green transition.

“I’m one of those people who believes that electric cars… Everything has to be electric. But you have to have half as many,” said Fitzgibbon in a press conference.

His comments come amid Quebec pursuing a net-zero agenda, which includes a ban on the sale of all new gasoline cars in 2035 – similar to those pursued by the federal government. 

Ministry spokesperson Rosalie Tremblay-Cloutier later clarified Fitzgibbon’s remarks, claiming the Legault government does not have active plans to reduce the number of vehicles owned by Quebecers.

“The government has no plans to reduce the number of vehicles on our roads,” Tremblay-Cloutier told Le Journal de Quebec.

“We also want to offer Quebecers other transportation options that are just as efficient, if not more so, than the automobile. We are investing like never before in structuring public transit projects,” she added.

Nevertheless, Fitzgibbon’s comments were the subject of criticism.

Conservative Party of Quebec leader Eric Duhaime wrote on X (formerly Twitter) “the CAQ officially declares war on the car,” adding that they “are completely out of touch with the real world.” 

“How do you think the CAQ is going to get rid of half the cars on our roads?” he asked. “There aren’t 50% of Quebecers who will freely choose to abandon their car because Minister Fitzgibbon asks them to.”

“I can assure you, however, that the Quebec Conservative Party will fight to ensure that you can continue to own your car. It’s not the government’s place to judge you and try to get rid of you. The road belongs to all Quebecers,” Duhaime added.

Fitzgibbon previously made headlines after it was revealed he billed taxpayers almost $60,000 for a trip to Davos, Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF). 

The WEF has also called for a reduction in the number of cars on the road amid a transition to electric cars, claiming the latter is necessary to limit the world’s reliance on critical metals . 

“This transition from fossil fuels to renewables will need large supplies of critical metals such as cobalt, lithium, nickel, to name a few,” the non-governmental and lobbying organization said in a July 2022 report.

“Shortages of these critical minerals could raise the costs of clean energy technologies.”

Trudeau’s record immigration targets contributing to inflation: Scotiabank economist

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

An economist with Scotiabank has blasted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s annual target to bring in 500,000 immigrants into Canada each year as one of the pressures leading to inflation. 

Economist Derek Holt joined a growing number of professionals in the industry warning that the record targets are negatively impacting the Canadian economy in several ways. 

“Alas, no one will win a Nobel Prize in Economics for observing that when you add a massive surge of immigration into a market with no supply, rents and house prices will push higher,” wrote Holt. 

“Welcome to Duhonomics! The argument that immigration could invoke balanced effects on demand and supply side pressures on inflation that cancel each other out was never sensible and we’re getting the kind of persistent housing inflation I’ve warned about since last year when immigration numbers were skyrocketing.”

In his report for Scotiabank, Holt reported that inflation on shelter jumped by 0.7% month over month due to higher rent, insurance premiums and electricity. 

“It wasn’t just shelter, however, as other service categories also jumped,” said Holt.

Other impacted categories included airfare, recreation, education and reading, as well as bus and subway fares. 

“Immigration may be adding to domestic strains and pricing power in these sectors. Health care was up 0.3% and auto insurance increased by 0.5%. More drivers, more folks in the health care system,” observed Holt. 

Holt suggested that the Bank of Canada tighten its policy adjustments even further due to “poorly executed immigration” among other things. 

“There are mitigating effects on the rate hike cycle that are offsetting and that indicate policy needs to tighten further,” wrote Holt. 

“The terms of trade, ongoing fiscal stimulus, poorly executed immigration policy, improving supply chains into a tightening cycle, strong corporate finances including high interest coverage and strengths in household finances for the majority of households in Canada are just a few such arguments.” 

Instead of heeding calls from economists to bring back immigration to manageable levels, Liberal Immigration Minister Marc Miller has said that he is even considering boosting immigration even further to deal with the housing crisis. 

“I don’t see a world in which we lower it, the need is too great,” said Miller. 

“Whether we revise them upwards or not is something that I have to look at. But certainly I don’t think we’re in any position of wanting to lower them by any stretch of the imagination.”

Data from Statistics Canada has revealed that the country’s annual inflation rate has shot up to 3.3% in July, compared to the same month last year. This marks an increase in the pace of growth since June as the Consumer Price Index was up from a 2.8% rise.

1...488489490...1,460Page 489 of 1,460

Related stories

© 2025 True North | Privacy Policy