Canada’s new housing minister, Gregor Robertson, says solving the national housing crisis will be a long and difficult process, but insists he brings the practical experience needed to make progress. Blacklock's Reporter says the former Vancouver mayor becomes the fifth federal housing minister in just six years.“Housing is a slow-moving creature and we’ve got to do everything we can to speed it up,” Robertson told reporters Wednesday. “We need to deliver more supply and make sure the market is stable.”Robertson said his time as mayor gave him a front-row view of housing challenges at the municipal level, including frustrations with a lack of federal support. .“I wasn’t getting the help I needed from Ottawa back then. I know what works on the ground,” he said.Prime Minister Mark Carney praised the appointment, calling Robertson “the type of experienced leader we need” to address issues like reducing municipal costs and cutting red tape to accelerate homebuilding. “We’re going to have to change how we build,” Carney said.But questions have already surfaced about Robertson’s track record. During his tenure as Vancouver mayor, home prices rose by 179%, leaving the city one of the most unaffordable in the country. .When pressed on whether that history made him the right choice, Carney responded only that the government had “a strong view on housing.”The government’s housing targets remain ambitious. Federal officials say Canada needs to build 800,000 homes annually through 2030 to meet demand. By comparison, housing starts peaked at 273,200 in 1976. Last year, the number of urban housing starts was just 227,697, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s 2025 Housing Market Outlook..The outlook also noted a slowdown in new construction, particularly of condominiums, citing low buyer demand and rising numbers of unsold units. “With low investor interest and more young families looking for family-friendly homes, developers will find it harder to sell enough units to fund new projects,” analysts wrote.The report warned that housing markets in Ontario and British Columbia remain “particularly unaffordable,” with sales in both provinces expected to stay below 10-year averages due to ongoing affordability issues and pressure from higher immigration targets.Despite the challenges, Robertson said his focus will be on building more homes across the country, emphasizing supply as the central issue in tackling the crisis.
