Pro-Khalistani Jagmeet Singh loses Canada election; steps down as NDP leader

Pro-Khalistani Sikh leader Jagmeet Singh has stepped down as the leader of New Democratic Party (NDP) after his defeat in the Canadian elections. Singh lost his own seat, while many others from the party lost theirs too, and NDP was reduced to a single-digit seat count. 

“It's been the honour of my life to lead the NDP, and to represent the people of Burnaby Central. Congratulations to Prime Minister Carney, and to all the other leaders on a hard-fought campaign. I know this night is disappointing for New Democrats,” he said after losing the election. 

“But we are only defeated when we believe those that tell us we can never dream of a better Canada. I've often spoken of a lesson my mother shared with me: the Sikh teaching of Chardi Kala. It means “rising spirits." Optimism over struggle.  This is the spirit I carry tonight. I am disappointed that we could not win more seats. But I am not disappointed in our movement. I am hopeful for our Party. I KNOW that we will always choose hope over fear. New Democrats built this country. We have built the best of Canada. And we aren’t going anywhere,” said Singh in a thread on X. 

In a speech congratulating Mark Carney for forming the government, and conceding the elections, Singh said the prime minister has an important job to do to represent all Canadians, and to protect the country and its sovereignty from the “threats of Donald Trump”. “Tonight and every night all of us here are team Canada, we want Canada to thrive and we are going to continue to fight for Canada,” he said. 

Carney, who won on the back of his response and handling of the Trump tariffs and his threat to annex the country as another of its states, said that their old relationship with the US was over. 

"Our old relationship with the United States, a relationship based on steadily increasing integration, is over. The system of open global trade anchored by the United States, a system that Canada has relied on since the Second World War, a system that, while not perfect, has helped deliver prosperity for our country for decades, is over. These are tragedies, but it's also our new reality,” Carney said in a victory speech in Ottawa. 

The Liberals’ victory in Canada has been seen as a turnaround. Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute, said the Liberals’ victory hinged on a few factors: the 'anybody-but-Conservative' factor, the Trump tariff factor, and the Trudeau departure. Kurl said these mix of factors enabled a lot of left-of-center voters and traditional Liberal voters to come back to the party.