He’s back.
Gregor Robertson, who served as Vancouver’s mayor from 2008 to 2018, has returned to politics and was acclaimed Sunday as the federal Liberals’ candidate in the riding of Vancouver Fraserview-South Burnaby.
He announced his return via a video on his Instagram account, saying he was honoured to be asked by Prime Minister Mark Carney to join the Liberals in a race that officially began Sunday and concludes April 28.
“I've had the honour of leading one of Canada's biggest cities for 10 years as mayor, when Vancouver had the strongest economy of any city in Canada, while being one of the greenest, most livable, inclusive places in the world,” he said.
“Today, our country faces urgent, complex and existential challenges, but we faced hard times before — we know how to rise. We need serious, grounded, proven leadership, and there is no one better prepared to lead us through this moment than Prime Minister Mark Carney.”
Robertson identified his top issues as housing, community infrastructure, affordability and climate change. Prior to announcing his candidacy, the former mayor had been serving as the global ambassador for the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy.
In his campaign video, Robertson described Canada as “the greatest country on Earth” and said Canadians have triumphed generation after generation through challenges that tested the nation.
“We now stand at another turning point,” he said. “The rise of hostility in our own backyard and around the world is threatening our rights, our freedoms, our very sovereignty. This moment is unlike any we've seen before, and how we respond will define our future.”
Manoj Bhangu, Avi Nayyar
Robertson is running in a new riding that includes parts of what used to be Vancouver-South, which was held by Harjit Sajjan, who was the Liberal MP there since 2015.
Sajjan, a former cabinet minister, announced in January that he would not seek re-election.
The federal NDP’s campaign website lists Manoj Bhangu as the party’s candidate in the riding. The Conservative Party of Canada's candidate is Avi Nayyar.
The Conservative Party issued a news release Monday calling Robertson a "drug liberalization radical." The party said housing prices, "housing taxes" and drug overdoses all increased when Robertson was mayor.
When Robertson announced he would not seek re-election as mayor in 2018, he said he wanted to spend more time with family. Prior to being elected mayor in 2008, he had served as an the NDP MLA for Vancouver-Fairview since 2005.
“Something shifted for me that surprised me," he told the Vancouver Courier in an interview at the time. “It came up in conversations, and I had time on my own to think about it and consider what was next for me. I felt it was time.”
'Sobering and powerful'
Robertson left office without fulfilling a promise he made to end “street homelessness” by 2015.
Critics continue to point to that promise, with Robertson’s announcement to run with the Liberals triggering people on Sunday — including former city councillor Melissa De Genova — to post reminders on social media about the state of homelessness in Vancouver.
“Maybe he should walk around downtown and the East Side to confront his broken promises before creating new problems that will leave our city and country worse off,” said De Genova, who was unsuccessful in her run to become a Conservative Party of B.C. MLA in the fall provincial election.
The Courier asked Robertson about that promise on the day he announced he would not seek re-election.
“My intention in setting that goal in 2008 was to make this a top priority issue and keep attention on it for all the years to come,” he said.
“It's sobering and powerful to not achieve that goal, but keeps us on our toes to ensure we don't let up. I have no regrets about saying that, but lots of frustration with not being able to make it happen and rally all the other governments of the day.”
When he announced he wouldn't seek re-election, his Facebook post at the time cited accomplishments and milestones, including opening shelters, building rental housing and creating a "creative, resilient economy with leading edge tech and innovation."
His government also implemented an empty homes tax and new rules to monitor short-term rentals.
BIV sent an email Sunday to Robertson for an interview, but had not received a response before this story was posted.
Note: This story has been updated with information released Monday from the Conservatives indicating Avi Nayyar is the party's candidate in Vancouver Fraserview-South Burnaby.
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