Is former Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson the right pick for Canada’s housing crisis?

Former Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson is back in the spotlight, and this time on the federal stage.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney appointed Robertson as Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, as well as the minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada.

Robertson, who won the newly created riding of Vancouver Fraserview-South Burnaby for the Liberals in the April 28 federal election, has long framed housing as one of his top policy priorities.

Now, he takes the helm of the country’s housing portfolio at a time of acute national concern over issues like affordability and supply.

The decision has drawn both skepticism and praise, specifically from some former colleagues at Vancouver City Hall, where he served as mayor from 2008 to 2018.

One of the vocal critics is George Affleck, an ex-city councillor who served under Robertson for two terms.

“I’m really quite concerned that his file is housing,” Affleck told 1130 NewsRadio.

“In my experience on council, the party he led was off the mark on the future of housing in our city. If he takes those same skill sets to Ottawa, we’re going to have a real problem in this country.”

Affleck pointed to what he called an overreliance on incentivizing private developers and a lack of understanding of what truly affordable housing is.

“I think that balance of government and private sector needs to be carefully monitored. And, as we move forward with the national program, if that’s the case, where taxpayers are going to be subsidizing the private development of rental housing that somebody else benefits from financially. It’s something that we should be monitoring closely.”

He also warned that unless Prime Minister Mark Carney remains closely involved in shaping the national housing strategy, the appointment could backfire.

“The prime minister has put himself in a challenging situation. I don’t think there’s a lot of love for Gregor Robertson [in Vancouver.]”

But despite his criticisms, Affleck “painfully” acknowledged Robertson’s strengths as a leader.

“He can manage a room. He can manage a caucus. He held together a very strong caucus for 11 years. There was no dissent within his caucus at city council. That’s a testament to his leadership.”

On the other side of the debate is Kerry Jang, who served three full terms on Vancouver City Council alongside Robertson.

Jang welcomed the news.

“I was actually a little surprised, but quite pleased,” said Jang.

“I think it’s a good choice, because, having been the mayor of Vancouver for 10 years, he understands municipal zoning. He understands all those puts and takes within cities that are required to build housing.”

While Jang admits that Robertson’s housing record as mayor was far from perfect, he argues that the criticism often overlooks the systemic barriers city governments face.

“It wasn’t as easy to build as everybody thinks. I mean, when you think about it, you have to procure land, you have to get the right zoning, you have to get permissions and permits, and then you have neighborhood opposition to any kind of low income housing. So it’s easy for those to criticize, but actually doing it is a lot of work.”

Additionally, Jang emphasized that Robertson’s years of experience navigating those obstacles will be valuable moving forward.

“He learned a lot about what people want and what people don’t want. He understands it, he gets it, and he’s also very innovative. And now having a real housing ministry to work with, and people who are experts in housing, I think some real change is real possible.”

As Canada’s housing crisis continues to dominate headlines, Robertson’s appointment will likely remain under a microscope.

But whether he can turn his decade of local government experience into national impact remains to be seen.