An emotional Singh steps down with NDP set to lose party status

Peter Zimonjic · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 29, 2025 2:51 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh struggled to support his emotions successful cheque precocious Monday night as helium took the signifier astatine his run office successful Burnaby, B.C., to present the atrocious news: his combat is over.

Singh was not lone poised to decorativeness 3rd successful his ain riding, according to preliminary results, but his enactment was connected way to suffer much than two-thirds of its seats. The New Democrats volition suffer authoritative enactment presumption successful the House of Commons, falling abbreviated of the 12-member minimum.

Singh thanked his wife, Gurkiran Kaur — who shared the signifier with him — his staff, enactment volunteers and helium past said helium would beryllium stepping down arsenic soon arsenic an interim person could beryllium appointed.

"Its been the honour of my beingness to correspond the radical of Burnaby Central," helium said. "Tonight they chose a caller subordinate of Parliament and I privation them well."

Singh archetypal won his spot successful Burnaby South successful a byelection successful 2019 and was re-elected doubly earlier the riding was redistributed to Burnaby Central. That caller sanction did not bring with it immoderate luck, and as the results started rolling in, it became wide the NDP was successful for a unsmooth evening.

Watch | Singh gets affectional arsenic helium announces helium volition measurement down arsenic NDP leader: 

Alexandre Boulerice is projected to bent connected to his party's lone spot successful Quebec aft the New Democrats failed to triumph a azygous riding successful Atlantic Canada.

In Ontario, the enactment is connected way to suffer each 5 of its seats, including Windsor West, wherever Brian Masse represented constituents since 2002. 

Moving west, the NDP is projected to triumph lone 1 of the 3 seats it held successful Manitoba, returning Leah Gazan to represent Winnipeg Centre. The 1 spot of bully news: Lori Idlout was inactive starring successful Nunavut successful the aboriginal hours Tuesday.

But Niki Ashton was connected her mode to losing Churchill-Keewatinook Aski to the Liberals — a spot she'd held since 2008 — portion Leila Dance successful Elmwood-Transcona was trailing to the Conservatives. 

Alberta to B.C.

The enactment was projected to support Heather McPherson's spot successful Edmonton Strathcona aboriginal Tuesday, but successful B.C. wherever the party's largest cohort of MPs were based, the representation was grim. 

Not lone was Singh successful 3rd spot with astir of the votes counted, but the enactment was lone starring successful 3 ridings: Vancouver East — where Jenny Kwan was projected to support her spot — and Vancouver Kingsway and Courtenay-Alberni.

"Obviously I cognize contiguous is simply a disappointing nighttime for New Democrats," Singh said successful his concession speech. "We had truly bully candidates that mislaid tonight. I cognize however hard you worked. I spent clip with you. You're amazing. I americium truthful atrocious you are not going to beryllium capable to correspond your communities."

Singh said helium volition stay connected "Team Canada," doing what helium could to enactment the absorption to U.S. President Donald Trump, conscionable not arsenic an elected official. 

"I privation to instrumentality a infinitesimal to congratulate Prime Minister Carney connected his victory. He has an important occupation to bash to correspond each Canadians and to support our state and its sovereignty from the threats of Donald Trump," Singh said.

NDP successful azygous digits passim race

In aboriginal January, the CBC Poll Tracker had the NDP astatine 19 per cent and the Liberals astatine 21 per cent. But by the clip the predetermination kicked disconnected connected March 23, that NDP enactment had dropped by half.

Still, Singh started the run with the bold transportation to Canadians that helium was moving to beryllium Canada's adjacent premier minister.

But days later, Singh admitted that his enactment was facing "massive challenges" with voters looking elsewhere for a champion to conflict U.S. President Donald Trump.

"I've got nary illusions astir that. There's immoderate superior challenges that we're up against," helium said successful Toronto connected March 26.

Singh's uphill conflict was not helped by erstwhile NDP person Tom Mulcair penning a file for CTV that said the New Democrats were going obscurity successful a two-way contention betwixt the Conservatives and the Liberals.

"If you can't earnestly accidental you're going to signifier a authorities that tin instrumentality connected Trump, past get retired of the mode and fto the lone existent contenders person astatine it," Mulcair wrote.

By the 3rd week of the campaign, Singh dropped the optimistic messaging astir forming government from his quality conferences.

Supply-and-confidence deal

The enactment tried to situation Mulcair's criticisms by promoting Singh's achievements. They reminded voters that arsenic a parliamentary spouse with the Liberal number government, they created nationalist pharmacare and dental attraction programs and banned replacement workers during onslaught actions. 

The supply-and-confidence statement struck betwixt the 2 parties successful March 2022 committed the NDP to supporting the Liberal authorities connected assurance votes successful speech for legislative commitments connected NDP priorities. The woody was scheduled to tally until June 2025.

When Singh tore up that statement successful aboriginal September, but did not bring down the Liberal government, helium was the taxable of an onslaught of antagonistic Conservative ads. 

The Conservatives said the NDP wasn't backing a non-confidence ballot due to the fact that Singh wanted to suffice for his MP pension (Poilievre's is 3 times larger) earlier Canadians spell to the polls.

In precocious April, Singh told the Toronto Star that helium stood by his determination not to instrumentality the Liberal authorities down successful the autumn erstwhile his enactment was hovering conscionable beneath 20 per cent support.

"While we could person won tons of seats, it would person meant a Pierre Poilievre bulk Conservative government, and I could not tummy that," Singh said.

'We're gonna bash large enactment for you'

Aware that winning "lots of seats" had go highly unlikely, Singh modified his message. He started asking voters successful the 2nd fractional of the run to instead give his enactment capable seats successful Parliament to support the government successful check, and possibly adjacent propulsion much progressive argumentation initiatives done the House.

"If you elite capable of us, elite much of us, we're gonna bash large enactment for you," Singh said successful Winnipeg connected April 6.

Despite the polls showing the NDP successful a distant third, Singh remained optimistic that his modified transportation was landing and that helium could bring radical into the orangish structure by highlighting his achievements.

At a run halt successful Toronto connected Friday, Singh was asked however helium is remaining affirmative successful airy of what was apt coming down the tube for his enactment connected predetermination day. 

Watch | Singh's concession speech: 

Reflecting connected the challenges of his childhood: his father's addiction, losing the household home and being compelled to measurement successful to genitor his younger teenage brother, Singh provoked enthusiastic and sustained applause from supporters gathered successful the country with his answer.

"In each those struggles I recovered that you tin either laughter oregon outcry successful those pugnacious times, and I ever take that you gotta person joyousness successful the struggle. I truly judge successful joyousness successful the struggle," helium said.

Singh past pivoted to praising his staff, enactment volunteers and chap caucus members, saying it's hard not to beryllium joyful erstwhile you are surrounded by "incredible people, warring for specified a large reason."