Ottawa is appointing a former investment banker and public servant with links to Prime Minister Mark Carney to steer the board of directors at its affordable housing agency.

Build Canada Homes’ inaugural board chair Evan Siddall was CEO of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. from late 2013 to 2021, where he helped to develop the Liberals’ national housing strategy.

Siddall was most recently vice-chair at BMO Capital Markets and his experience includes heading up Alberta’s AIMCo pension fund manager and stints at Goldman Sachs and Irving Oil.

The incoming chair also served for a number of years as special adviser to Carney when he was governor of the Bank of Canada.

The Liberals launched Build Canada Homes nearly a year ago but in June the agency became a Crown corporation, which must be governed by an independent board of directors.

A federal release says Siddall will exercise the board’s powers unilaterally until a process to appoint at least eight directors concludes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2026.