NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh announced he will be stepping down as party leader as soon as an interim leader can be chosen.
“Choosing to commit your life to politics obviously comes with some sacrifice. But we choose this life because of the chance to change the country we love for the better,” said Singh. “We may lose sometimes, and those losses hurt, but we are only defeated if we stop fighting.
“Tonight, I’ve informed our party that I’ll be stepping down as party leader as soon as an interim leader can be appointed,” he added.
Singh lost his Burnaby Central riding seat during the federal election, falling behind both Liberal and Conservative candidates.
The NDP won only seven seats, meaning the party will lose its official status, which requires 12 seats.
Liberal candidate Wade Chang won the riding with 42.1 per cent of the vote. Conservative candidate James Yan received 38.7 per cent, with Singh only holding 18.1 per cent, according to Elections Canada.
PPC candidate Richard Farbridge also currently has 1.1 per cent of the vote, while the Greens did not have any representation in the riding.
Meanwhile, the NDP managed to secure seats elsewhere in B.C. as well as in Quebec, Manitoba and Nunavut.
“I couldn’t have done it without you,” Singh told supporters during his emotional farewell. “Obviously, I’m disappointed that we didn’t get more seats tonight, but I’m not disappointed in our movement.”
“New Democrats literally built this country,” he continued. “We built the best of Canada, and we aren’t going anywhere.”