Many observers will be watching Canada’s new federal housing minister closely as he seeks to help the re-elected Liberal government meet its lofty development goal.

Gregor Robertson, a former Vancouver mayor, was appointed to the role as Mark Carney swore in his first cabinet as an elected prime minister. Carney became a rare unelected prime minister after he easily won the federal Liberal leadership race following former PM Justin Trudeau’s resignation and then took office for his first full term an elected PM after the party bettered the Conservatives in the federal election.

The Carney government has pledged to develop 500,000 new homes per year over the next decade while providing more than $25 billion in financing. As he helms the housing portfolio, Robertson is expected to be at the forefront of the program, along with although Carney may ultimately have the final say on investments.

Robertson’s portfolio includes infrastructure. Real estate industry leaders have cited a lack of infrastructure as a barrier to housing development, particularly multi-family rental projects.

According to The Globe and Mail, Robertson and the housing policies that he implemented in his three consecutive terms as Vancouver’s mayor remain sources of considerable ongoing debate.

Robertson governed the city during a decade-long tenure marked by rising housing prices and attempts at affordability reforms, the Globe noted. While some credit him with innovative responses to a deepening crisis, others remain critical of his legacy, the Globe reported.

“I hope he sees the flaws of the system,” Rick Ilich, chair of the Vancouver-based Urban Development Institute and CEO of Townline Homes, said in an interview with the Globe.

Ilich described Robertson as “a level-headed guy, measured in his approach.”

“I suggest we might have an ally in getting through to government,” Illich told the Globe.

But other observers remain skeptical of what Robertson will accomplish after some of his Vancouver housing development goals fell short.

Randy Helten, who operates the CityWatch blog, hopes time away from political life has brought Robertson a new attitude upon his return.

“My only hope is that he’s a changed man,” Helten told the Globe.

Helten launched CityHallWatch in response to Robertson’s Short-Term Incentives for Rental (STIR) program, which used fee reductions and density bonuses to encourage rental-housing development.

“He started off good, but with the global financial crisis I think he panicked and I think he was influenced by his donors,” Helten told the Globe.

During Robertson’s final term, his administration promised to build 1,000 social-housing units on city land but fell well short. The Globe reported that construction has commenced at only three sites, and one remains undeveloped.

Stepan Vdovine, vice-president at Amacon Developments and former president of Robertson’s Vision Vancouver party, told the Globe that the ex-mayor was hampered by higher levels of government that did not see housing as a national issue.

“He’s not made for bureaucratic process,” Vdovine told the Globe. “He wants action.”

Still, some industry voices remain wary.

“All the new environmental costs, we’re getting into $55,000 to $60,000 per home on that policy alone,” Ilich told the Globe, pointing to concerns about housing affordability being burdened by green-building requirements.

Chris Gardner, CEO of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association, expressed skepticism about Robertson’s ability to deliver real change.

“He said he would end homelessness and homelessness got worse, the streets got worse,” Gardner told the Globe.

Robertson may have a tough act to follow in one of his predecessors, Sean Fraser, who was praised by the real estate industry for introducing a number of new policies that spurred investment before he resigned in December.

In what was arguably his most notable move, Fraser lifted the G.S.T. on all new multi-purpose rental-housing projects in 2023. Most provinces adopted a similar policy almost immediately on their sales taxes tied to purpose-built rental projects.

“Initiatives like this allow Starlight to continually reassess our plans to commence projects that were previously deemed financially infeasible,” Howard Paskowitz, vice-president of development and public affairs for Toronto-based global investor and developer Starlight Investments, told Connect in a recent interview.

“That’s the government at the beginning of the assembly line, and here we are now able to provide the housing to the end users at the end of that line.”

Fraser resigned last winter, while Trudeau was still in office, quitting cabinet amid plans to leave politics altogether. Trudeau replaced him with Nathaniel (Nate) Erskine-Smith, a Toronto MP sworn into cabinet for the first time.

Erskine-Smith had initially planned to leave politics but decided to seek re-election after receiving the cabinet post. Carney subsequently decided to keep Erskine-Smith in the role while serving as an unelected prime minister.

Erskine-Smith did not appear to do much more than announce investments spearheaded by Fraser when he steered the housing ministry. Like his successor in housing, Fraser had a change of heart and decided to remain in politics. Fraser gained re-election and returned to cabinet, receiving the justice portfolio from Carney.

However, Erskine-Smith’s decision to remain in politics backfired. After he gained re-election, Carney ousted him from cabinet and appointed Robertson as housing minister.

Time will tell whether Robertson’s decision to return to political life pays off for him and Canada’s housing sector

Pictured: New federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson during his tenure as Vancouver’s mayor.

Photo: Sergei Bachlakov / Shutterstock.com