NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has said he will resign as the head of his party after losing his own seat in Burnaby Central.
Singh made the remarks Monday night after trailing in a distant third behind a new Liberal candidate, Wade Chang, and the Conservative, James Yan, as of 9:45 p.m.
“To represent the people of Burnaby Central has been the honour of my life. Tonight they chose a new member of parliament – and tonight I wish them well as they continue to work hard for this community,” Singh added.
“Clearly, I know this is a disappointing night for New Democrats. And we had really good candidates who lost tonight. I know how hard you worked. I hung out with you, you were awesome.”
Mr. Singh said he had told the party he would resign once it chose an interim leader.
The defeat caps a difficult night for the New Democrats, as their support collapsed all across the country, and voters instead flocked to the Liberals and Conservatives in the aftermath of Justin Trudeau’s resignation and threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.
In 2022, Singh entered into a confidence and supply agreement in which the Liberals committed to pharmacare and dental care for low-income Canadians, two programs that have since been established.
Singh called the agreement off last September, saying there wasn’t enough Liberal progress on healthcare and affordability measures, but didn’t pull the trigger to bring down the government.
Singh was first elected to parliament in a byelection in 2019 in the former Burnaby South riding. In the 2021 election, he was re-elected with over 40 per cent of the vote, compared to just over 30 per cent for the Liberal candidate.
The riding was redistributed into and renamed Burnaby Central for the 2025 election, with the reconfiguration slightly reducing the New Democrats' advantage.
