Gregor Robertson was appointed as the federal housing and infrastructure minister Tuesday as Mark Carney swore in his first cabinet as a permanent prime minister.

Robertson is a rookie MP but veteran politician. He is a former Vancouver mayor and British Columbia MLA, as a member of the NDP caucus when the Liberals ruled the province.

Robertson is expected to play a key role in Carney’s cabinet as the prime minister seeks to build twice as much housing over the next decade. Sporting his infrastructure cap, Robertson will also make additional key investment decisions tied to other forms of real estate, such as manufacturing facilities, highways and high-speed rail lines and station developments.

He was also given the role of minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada. That means he will make more real estate decisions inside and outside of housing and potentially be a major influence on sustainability-related developments and low-carbon ventures, among many others in B.C.

Robertson replaces Nathan (Nate) Erskine-Smith, who was removed from cabinet after a brief tenure. Erskine-Smith was appointed housing and infrastructure minister in January by former PM Justin Trudeau.

In 2024, Erskine-Smith announced his intention to quit politics following this year’s election. But Trudeau’s cabinet offer prompted a change of heart and Erskine held onto his Toronto riding in this spring’s election.

Erskine-Smith had replaced Sean Fraser, who drew praise from the housing and real estate sectors for implementing investment incentives, such as lifting the G.S.T. on new purpose-built rental projects. As a result of that move, most provinces waived their sales taxes tied to such projects.

Fraser quit the housing post in December while also planning to leave politics. But he also had a change of heart, announcing in March that he would seek re-election in his Nova Scotia riding.

Fraser succeeded and returned to cabinet Tuesday as the new justice minister.

In other key real estate-related cabinet assignments, Carney handed veteran minister Mélanie Joly the industry portfolio. She has also become the minister responsible for Quebec economic development, a role that will lead to move investment decisions covering properties.

She most recently served as foreign affairs and international development and had been considered likely to remain in that role as Carney seeks to fight U.S. tariff threats. So, the switch was somewhat of a surprise.

Meanwhile, long-time minister Jonathan Wilkinson was among veterans dropped from cabinet as Carney sought to distance himself from Trudeau. Wilkinson made key real estate-related decisions in his roles as energy and natural resources minister from 2021 to 2025 and environment minister before then.

Picture: New Housing Minister Gregor Robertson.

Photo: Handout

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