Dylan Robertson, Canadian Press
Prime Minister Mark Carney promised to unite the country and govern for all after Canadians handed the Liberals a fourth consecutive mandate in Monday’s federal election.
The final size of Carney’s caucus was not clear early Tuesday morning because a handful of seats were still too close to call โ but it looked likely that his government would have to have to work with other parties to pass legislation.
“Let’s put an end to the division and anger of the past,” Carney said in his victory speech, noting that millions had voted against his Liberal party. “We are all Canadian, and my government will work for and with everyone.”
He spoke shortly after Pierre Poilievre’s concession speech, which saw the Conservative leader hush some booing from the crowd when he congratulated Carney on his win.
“No, no, we’ll have plenty of opportunity to debate and disagree. But tonight we come together as Canadians,” Poilievre said.
It was still not clear in the early hours of Tuesday morning whether Poilievre had held his Ottawa-area riding of Carleton against a robust challenge from Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh lost his Vancouver-area seat and announced he’d be resigning as NDP leader once the party selects an interim replacement.
“We may lose sometimes and those losses hurt,” Singh said, fighting emotion as he stood beside his wife on a stage in Burnaby, B.C. “We’re only defeated when we believe … those that tell us that we can never dream of a better Canada, a fairer Canada, a more compassionate Canada.”
Poilievre said he will hold the Liberal government to account, adding that his purpose in politics “will continue to be” working for Canadians to build a safe and affordable country.
“We have to learn the lessons of tonight so that we can have an even better result the next time,” he said, adding that he ran in “a very difficult environment.”
Carney will take a seat in the House of Commons for the first time, having won his Ottawa-area riding. He said he will make mistakes as prime minister but promised to admit to them and correct them.
“We will fight back with everything we have to get the best deal for Canada,” he said. “Together, we will build a Canada worthy of our values.”
Carney, a former central banker and a political neophyte, presented himself during the campaign as a safe pair of hands for a country facing Trump’s economic threats, while Poilievre focused on addressing crime and the high cost of living.
Trump loomed large over the campaign with his tariff threats and calls for Canada to become a U.S. state, causing Carney to leave the campaign trail at various times to hold meetings in his capacity as prime minister.
The American president even weighed in early on election day with a post on his Truth Social platform, where he repeated calls for Canada to join the U.S. and wished “good luck to the Great people of Canada.”
When Parliament was dissolved, the Liberals held 153 seats in a minority government and the Conservatives formed the official Opposition with 120 seats. The Bloc Quรฉbรฉcois held 33 seats, the NDP 24 and the Greens two. There were three independent MPs.