Former Vancouver mayor cites municipal limits and calls for national supply strategy
Canada’s new federal housing minister, Gregor Robertson, says the real estate crisis gripping the country is not affordability alone, but a persistent shortage in housing supply.
“I think that we need to deliver more supply, make sure the market is stable,” Robertson told reporters ahead of his first cabinet meeting on Wednesday. “It’s a huge part of our economy, but we need to be able to deliver more affordable housing.”
Robertson, who served as mayor of Vancouver from 2008 to 2018, takes on the housing portfolio amid rising pressure on the federal government to address ballooning home prices and worsening affordability across the country.
During his tenure as mayor, average prices for single-family and semi-detached homes in Metro Vancouver surged by 179%, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
Defending his record, Robertson said that municipal governments like his lacked sufficient support from upper levels of government.
“I wasn’t getting the help I needed from the federal government when I was mayor, or the provincial government, of all stripes. We need, as a government in Ottawa, to be delivering and partnering with cities and provinces,” he said.
Robertson also said that his experience dealing with municipal housing issues provides him with a clear understanding of what kinds of federal support are most effective at the local level.
Not everyone is convinced that supply is the only solution. Andy Yan, an urban studies professor at Simon Fraser University, said Robertson’s emphasis on supply may overlook other critical issues like housing demand and financial policy.
“He perhaps did not understand how much it’s also about finance and demand,” Yan said, noting that housing prices are not simply a matter of supply constraints.
Yan pointed out that Robertson’s mayoral campaign in 2008 included a pledge to end homelessness, a goal that was not met.
“Homelessness, too, ended up surging under his watch,” he added.
Still, Yan said that it was the early days for the new minister.
“It’s literally his second day on the job. One has to give him the opportunity to see what he learned, the lessons in being the mayor of Vancouver,” Yan said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, who introduced Robertson as part of his new cabinet this week, dismissed speculation that the appointment signals reluctance to address high home prices.
“You would be very hard-pressed to make that conclusion,” Carney told journalists. “We have a strong view on housing and a very clear policy.” He added that Robertson brings relevant experience needed to “tackle some of the housing cost problems.”
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During the recent federal election campaign, Carney pledged several major housing initiatives, including the creation of Build Canada Homes, a federal agency designed to oversee and accelerate the construction of affordable homes. He also committed to removing the GST on homes purchased for under $1 million by first-time buyers.
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