Canada’s 2025 federal election is over — well, almost. Ballots are still being counted in some ridings, but the big picture is finally coming into focus.
If you went to bed early or have just felt lost in a sea of election news updates since Monday night, we’ve got you covered with the most important things you need to know.
Here are seven key takeaways from the 2025 Canadian election results, from Mark Carney’s big night to Pierre Poilievre’s unexpected flop — plus the final word on whether it’s a minority or majority and what’s next for the NDP and other major parties.
Mark Carney’s Liberals won — and he finally has a seat
After weeks of speculation and months of campaigning, it’s official: The Liberals have won the 2025 federal election.
Mark Carney, who’s been acting as prime minister without a seat since replacing Justin Trudeau in March, finally secured his own spot in Parliament — winning the riding of Nepean in Ottawa with a massive 63.7% of the vote.
As of around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, the Liberals had been elected in 169 ridings, with 43.7% of the popular vote nationwide.
Carney took the stage in Nepean Monday night, joined by his wife Diana Fox Carney, and called on Canadians to “build Canada strong” together.
The NDP & Greens didn’t have a great night
While the Liberals were celebrating, it was a rough night for Canada’s other left-leaning parties, who all shed votes in what quickly became a two-horse race between the Liberals and Conservatives.
As of the time of publishing, the NDP has been elected in just seven ridings — down from 26 last time around. The Greens dropped a seat too, holding onto only Elizabeth May’s riding in B.C.
The Bloc Québécois also slid, losing 10 seats compared to their previous standing as of the latest count.
It’s looking like a minority government
While the Liberal win was called early on Monday evening, it took all night and much of Tuesday for the preliminary vote counts to roll. Up until Tuesday afternoon, it was still too close to call whether the Liberals would gain the 172 seats required for a majority. But shortly before 4 p.m., CBC officially projected a minority government.
With just two ridings still being contested as of the time of publishing, and the Liberals having secured only 169, the party will fall just short of the majority threshold.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives have been elected in 142 ridings so far, and are leading in the last 2 — Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge in B.C. and Kitchener Centre in Ontario — for a total of 144.
This means the Bloc Québécois will walk away with 22 seats, the NDP with seven and the Greens with one.
Pierre Poilievre lost his seat
In one of the night’s biggest shocks, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre lost his seat in Carleton — a riding he’s held since 2004 — to new Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy.
Fanjoy pulled ahead with 50.6% of the vote, defeating Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. It took until Tuesday morning to call the results in the rural Ottawa riding, where a record-tying 91 candidates resulted in a ballot nearly a metre long — one of the longest in Canadian election history.
In his concession speech Monday night, Poilievre acknowledged Carney’s win and said the Conservatives “didn’t quite get over the finish line.” He thanked the millions of Canadians who supported his party and pledged to “continue to fight” for them.
Poilievre also called the election result a “razor-thin minority government” and said the Conservatives had “denied the Liberals and the NDP enough seats to form a coalition government.”
A bunch of other federal leaders lost seats too
Poilievre wasn’t the only party leader who lost their riding.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh lost his Burnaby Central seat, coming in third and losing to Liberal Wade Chang by a wide margin.
Over in Quebec, Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault placed last in Outremont, while PPC leader Maxime Bernier failed again in his old Beauce riding, getting just 5.8% of the vote.
Pedneault hinted at stepping down, saying “accountability is needed” and acknowledging that the results were disappointing. It was a night of big shakeups at the top.
The Green Party’s other co-leader, Elizabeth May, and Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet both held onto their respective seats.
The NDP lost official party status
After winning only seven seats, the NDP has lost official party status in the House of Commons — which means way less funding, fewer privileges and a smaller presence in Parliament.
For comparison, they held 26 seats last time and needed at least 12 to remain a “recognized party” in the House.
Jagmeet Singh is stepping down as NDP leader
After a disappointing night, losing both party status and his own seat, Jagmeet Singh announced he’s stepping down as leader of the NDP once an interim leader is named.
Singh held back tears during his emotional speech in the early hours of Tuesday morning, thanking his team and family, and reflecting on his eight years at the party’s helm.
“New Democrats literally built this country,” he told supporters. “We built the best of Canada, and we aren’t going anywhere.”
For info about election results, Mark Carney’s dramatic victory speech, Jagmeet Singh’s resignation as party leader and more, check out Narcity’s election hub.
