Gregor Robertson has announced that he will be running in the upcoming federal election.
The former Vancouver mayor and climate activist is set to represent the Liberals in the new riding of Vancouver Fraserview-South Burnaby.
"We live in the greatest country on earth," Robertson said in a video posted to Instagram Sunday. "Canada has risen and triumphed generation after generation through challenges that tested our nation, and we now stand at another turning point. The rise of hostility in our own backyard and around the world is threatening our rights, our freedoms, our very sovereignty."
He went on to note that the situation we find ourselves in today is "unlike any we've seen before," and warned that "how we respond will define our future." He declared that Canada needs "serious, grounded, proven leadership," and that "there is no one better prepared to lead us through this moment than Prime Minister Mark Carney."
"I was honoured when he asked me to serve Vancouver Fraserview-South Burnaby," Robertson concluded, "where I'm focused on what matters most — housing, community infrastructure, and affordability — all while Team Canada stands up for our sovereignty, citizens, and our economy."
Robertson claimed that during his decade-long reign as mayor — from 2008 to 2018 — Vancouver "had the strongest economy of any city in Canada, while being one of the greenest, most livable, inclusive places in the world."
During that same time period, however, Vancouver saw its overdose rate skyrocket by around 600%. Robertson was a key figure in the push to decriminalize hard drugs, labelling the move a "life-saving shift" and calling on the government to "provide more clean prescription opioids." He also fell short on his promise to end homelessness in the city, a problem which persists to this day.
Upon learning of his candidacy, the Conservatives labelled him a "drug liberalization radical," and suggested Carney's desire to have such people on his team showed he is "worse than Justin Trudeau."
Vancouver Fraserview-South Burnaby is one of two ridings created via the split of Burnaby South. Incumbent Jagmeet Singh will be running for the NDP in the other, Burnaby Central.