In a surprising turn of events, Canadians appear poised to grant the Liberal Party, led by Mark Carney, a fourth term in office — while NDP leader Jagmeet Singh announced he will be stepping down after losing his seat.
According to preliminary results from Elections Canada early Tuesday morning, CityNews projects the Liberals will form the next government. As of 12:45 a.m. EDT, the Liberals were leading in 163 ridings. It remains unclear whether they will secure a majority or minority government.
This projected victory comes just over five weeks after Carney called a national election, only nine days after being sworn in as Canada’s 24th prime minister. Throughout the campaign, the Liberals positioned the election as a crucial decision on Canadian sovereignty, particularly in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff policies.
Carney’s gains appear to have come largely at the expense of the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Bloc Québécois (BQ). The NDP was leading in only seven ridings as of 12:45 a.m. EDT — a third of their pre-election caucus size and four seats short of retaining official party status.
In an emotional speech to supporters in British Columbia, Singh announced he would be stepping down as NDP leader after leading the party through three federal elections.
Meanwhile, the BQ was down 11 seats compared to its standing before the election, holding 23 ridings as of late Monday night.
Although the Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre, focused their campaign on affordability and cost-of-living issues, they trailed the Liberals throughout the election period. Early polls showed a significant Liberal lead, although the margin narrowed in the final days. As of 12:45 a.m. EDT, the Conservatives were leading in 149 ridings.
Poilievre’s campaign strategy attracted internal criticism for not more aggressively challenging Trump’s actions toward Canada.
The Green Party of Canada also faced uncertainty, with co-leader Elizabeth May locked in a tight race in her British Columbia riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands. Ontario Green MP Mike Morrice was trailing his Conservative challenger.
