Housing is top of mind for many Vancouverites, and a familiar face will be responsible for national housing priorities in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s newly announced cabinet.

Former Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson was appointed Minister of Housing and Infrastructure during a swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Tuesday morning.

Robertson will also be stepping into the role of minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada, and is one of several B.C. MPs who were selected as cabinet ministers and secretaries.

“Canada’s new ministry is built to deliver the change Canadians want and deserve. Everyone is expected and empowered to show leadership — to bring new ideas, a clear focus, and decisive action to their work,” said Carney in a statement.

Robertson, who served as Vancouver’s mayor from 2008 to 2018, was a prominent figure in Canadian municipal politics, known for his focus on sustainability. His return to elected office marks a major political comeback after several years out of the public spotlight.

He won in the new riding of Vancouver Fraserview-South Burnaby, which spans areas of both Vancouver and Burnaby. It was formed by the finalized federal electoral district redistribution in 2023, based on the 2021 census results.

While best known as Vancouver’s longest-serving consecutive mayor and one of its most consequential, Robertson previously served as a provincial legislator, representing Vancouver–Fairview as an MLA for the BC NDP from 2005 to 2008. He vacated his seat to launch a successful campaign for mayor.

Leading the Vision Vancouver party, Robertson won three consecutive civic elections in 2008, 2011, and 2014, before choosing not to seek re-election in 2018 amid declining popularity for the party.

In early 2020 , he joined Vancouver-based Nexii Building Solutions as executive vice president of strategy and partnerships. The green construction startup quickly reached unicorn status in September 2021 , becoming the fastest company in Canadian history to achieve a valuation of over $1 billion. By mid-2022 , Nexii’s value had doubled to $2 billion. However, financial difficulties emerged in late 2023, leading the company to seek creditor protection in early 2024 before it was sold in a bankruptcy sale that summer.

Carney unveiled a plan in March to increase the country’s housing starts over the next decade to 500,000 new homes per year .

The largest component of the Liberals’ governing strategy is spinning affordable housing programs and initiatives out of federal Crown corporation Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) into the creation of a new entity called Build Canada Homes (BCH).

This includes the transfer of CMHC’s existing Affordable Housing Fund — which provides low-cost repayable loans, forgivable loans, and direct contributions to affordable housing projects led by other levels of government, non-profit organizations, and the private sector — as well as the transfer of the recently created Federal Lands Initiative , which identifies surplus federal lands and properties suitable for redevelopment into affordable housing.

Other Metro Vancouver MPs joining Carney’s new cabinet include Delta MP Jill McKnight as Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, and Surrey Centre MP Randeep Sarai, who will be Secretary of State for International Development.