Conservatives announce Realtor will run against former Vancouver mayor

Gregor Robertson will run with the Liberals in the upcoming election. Here’s why he said he decided to return to politics.

A Vancouver Realtor is throwing his hat in the ring to run for the Conservative Party of Canada against the Liberals’ star candidate in Vancouver Fraserview-South Vancouver.

Reached by phone on Monday afternoon, Avi Nayyar confirmed he’s in the race – but did not immediately have time for an interview.

In an announcement on Sunday, former Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson said Liberal Leader Mark Carney had personally recruited him to run in the riding.

“I’ve had enormous respect for Mark Carney on the international stage. I think it’s a great gift to Canada that he’s now willing to serve as our prime minister,” Robertson told CTV News on Monday.

“And when he called me, it was no question in my mind. I’m ready to roll and jump into the race and represent my city and country.”

Vancouver Fraserview-South Burnaby is a new riding which is comprised mostly from the former riding of Vancouver South.

Long-time Liberal Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan won the riding in the last three elections, including in 2021 when he took 49.4 per cent of the vote.

NDP candidate Monoj Bhangu was not available for an interview by deadline but did provide a statement saying he raised three children and started a small business in south Vancouver, and still proudly calls the community home.

“There’s a reason why I’ve been working in our community as a nominated candidate for over a year and a half – my neighbours deserve a candidate who will stand up for what’s right and bring their voices to Ottawa,” Bhangu went on to say in the written statement.

Given historic trends and current national polling, University of the Fraser Valley political scientist Hamish Telford thinks both Nayyar and Bhangu will have their work cut out for them in this campaign against a Liberal candidate with much better name recognition.

“If Gregor is going to have a challenge, it would be from the NDP coming back and splitting the vote. It’s very difficult for Conservatives to pick up urban constituencies, especially in places like Vancouver,” said Telford.

“So, if the NDP starts going up in that riding, that’s bad news for Gregor Robertson. But right now, the NDP’s really tanking, and if that vote stays low, I wouldn’t expect him to have any difficulties holding the seat.”

While threats of tariffs and annexation by U.S. President Donald Trump have dominated the early stages of the campaign, Robertson says it’s not just a single-issue race.

“I’d say right now, you know, affordability is always going to be a really key issue in Vancouver. And now, right across Canada. We’ve got to grow our economy,” Robertson said.