BURNABY - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh conceded the election 鈥 and his own seat 鈥 early Tuesday morning, congratulating Prime Minister Mark Carney on his win in an emotional speech delivered to a few dozen supporters.
He also told New Democrats in his home riding of Burnaby Central he would step down as party leader as soon as an interim one is appointed.
“It has been the honour of my life to represent the people of Burnaby Central. Tonight, they chose a new member of Parliament and I wish them well as they continue to work hard for this community,” said Singh.
“We may lose sometimes and those losses hurt. It’s tough. But we are only defeated if we stop fighting.”
At least 11 NDP MPs have lost their seats, and preliminary results show it may be difficult for the party to maintain official party status.
The party held 24 seats at dissolution and needs 12 for official party status but was leading or elected in just eight as of midnight EDT.
Singh was also running a distant third behind the Liberal and Conservative candidates in Burnaby Central as of midnight.
“I’m afraid that we might lose our seat here. We might lose our leader and we might lose a lot more seats in B.C.,” said Dave Reid, who serves on the Burnaby Central executive committee.
“The party’s not going to fall. It’ll always be here 鈥 But it’s scary to think about it.”
NDP officials said earlier in the day they were feeling good about get-out-the-vote efforts and reported internal polling suggesting late momentum gains in Ontario and B.C., where Singh spent many of the last days of the campaign.
Rosemont鈥擫a Petite-Patrie incumbent Alexandre Boulerice was the first NDP MP declared elected Monday. Heather McPherson in Edmonton鈥擲trathcona and Jenni Kwan in Vancouver East have also been declared elected.
The NDP has lost seats and saw incumbents go down to defeat in Windsor and London, Ont., northern Ontario, Winnipeg and northern Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia.
Singh and the NDP spent the election campaign reminding voters of the role they played in introducing the dental care and pharmacare programs in the previous minority government.
But Singh’s support for Justin Trudeau’s government allowed Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to launch a pre-election offensive tying him to the unpopular prime minister.
The NDP found itself in a difficult spot in this campaign, caught between the Conservatives and a surging Liberal party in a two-party race dominated by U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and persistent voter anxiety about the cost of living.
As he was speaking with supporters after conceding the election, Singh said he had to avoid making eye contact with certain people “because it’s going to get emotional up here.”
He thanked his caucus and party supporters for the work they’ve done to bring “real change to the lives of Canadians.”
“We did some incredible work together,” he said.
“Obviously I’m disappointed that we could not win more seats, but I’m not disappointed in our movement. I’m hopeful for our party. I know that we will always choose hope over fear, and optimism over despair, and unity over hate.”
鈥 With files from Alessia Passafiume in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2025.
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