It was a tempest in a tree pot. On Sunday, Prime Minister Mark Carney was accused of planting a tree still in its protective plastic pot while in Ireland.
The occasion was a photo op in County Mayo on the second day of his visit to the Republic.
What happened during the tree planting
During his Mayo visit, Carney and his wife, Diana Fox Carney, attended Mass at the local church and visited a graveyard where some of his relatives are buried. He then planted an Irish oak tree in the cemetery, joking that he had a previous “career as a gardener.”
Carney informed the crowd of onlookers that it was important to add a bit of soil to the hole before putting in the sapling, which he did before handing the shovel to his wife, drawing laughter from the crowd. He feigned exhaustion on finishing the job, which got a round of applause.
Social media accusations
However, news organizations and other commentators were quick to point out that the tree still seemed to be in its plastic pot when it went in the ground.
Shuv Majumdar, a Conservative MP for the riding of Calgary Heritage, remarked on social media: “So after he’s done this ‘major project,’ someone will have to go back and dig up the tree, remove the plastic pot, then do it right the next time. That tracks.”
Debunking the claim
Closer examination of the video and images, however, shows that the sapling was not in a plastic pot (nor a biodegradable one, as several online responses suggested) but was merely pot-shaped from having previously been inside one. A closeup image shows roots poking out of the compacted dirt around the tree.
Other criticisms
However, some commentators also pointed out the irony of Carney planting a tree after his government announced it would “wind down” Canada’s two billion trees program.
“As announced in the Federal Fall Budget of 2025, the Government of Canada will wind down the 2 Billion Trees (2BT) program,” a recent press release said. “While existing agreements will be honoured, the program is no longer accepting applications.”
Others noted that Carney flew from Dublin to County Mayo, a 45-minute flight that would have taken just a few hours on the road and would have involved far fewer CO2 emissions.
National Post has reached out to Majumdar for further comment.
