BURNABY, B.C. — The federal election results rolling in on April 29, 2025, have thrown a harsh spotlight on Burnaby Central, where NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is fighting a bruising battle to keep his seat. Polls and early counts show the race tightening to a razor’s edge, with Singh trailing in a riding he’s held since 2019. The air in Burnaby is thick with tension as the NDP grapples with a night that could reshape its future.
Singh, a charismatic figure known for his sharp suits and sharper rhetoric, has been a fixture in Burnaby’s political scene, first winning the riding of Burnaby South in a 2019 byelection before it was redrawn into Burnaby Central for 2025. But tonight, the numbers aren’t kind. Early results from Elections Canada, updated as polls closed across British Columbia, show Singh neck-and-neck with his Liberal rival, with the Conservative candidate nipping at both their heels. The riding, a diverse patchwork of working-class neighborhoods and tech-driven suburbs, has swung unpredictably in past elections, and this one’s no exception.
The NDP’s broader campaign is also taking a beating. Official tallies from April 29 indicate the party is projected to fall short of the 12 seats needed to maintain official party status in Parliament, a threshold that unlocks funding and speaking rights. Singh’s team, holed up in a Burnaby community center, issued a brief statement late in the evening, clinging to hope. They pointed to uncounted mail-in ballots and tight races in other B.C. ridings as a possible lifeline. But the mood among volunteers was grim, with some whispering about the end of Singh’s leadership.
Burnaby Central’s vote count, slowed by a surge in advance ballots, remains too close to call as of midnight. Elections Canada reported on April 29 that 62% of the riding’s polls had been tallied, with Singh trailing by fewer than 1,000 votes. The Liberal surge, fueled by strategic voting and a late campaign push from their leader, has put the NDP on its back foot. Conservatives, meanwhile, are siphoning off enough support to make a three-way split a real possibility.
Singh’s campaign leaned hard on affordability and housing, issues that resonate in Burnaby, where skyrocketing rents and stalled transit projects have voters frustrated. He barnstormed the riding for weeks, shaking hands at dim sum joints and rallying supporters at rain-soaked parks. But the Liberals’ promise of tax cuts and the Conservatives’ law-and-order pitch have chipped away at his base, especially among younger voters and new Canadians who powered his 2019 win.
The NDP leader has been here before, clawing out a victory in the 2021 election despite polls predicting a wipeout. But this time, the stakes are higher. A loss in Burnaby Central would not only cost Singh his seat but could trigger a leadership crisis for the NDP, already battered by a campaign that failed to ignite nationally. On April 16, Singh told reporters at a Burnaby SkyTrain station he was “in it to win it,” brushing off questions about his future. Tonight, that confidence is being tested.
As the count drags on, Burnaby’s voters are glued to their screens, waiting for clarity. The riding’s 78,000 registered electors turned out in droves, with Elections Canada noting a 68% turnout by April 29, higher than the national average. Every ballot matters, and the final tally could hinge on a few hundred votes. For now, Singh’s fate—and the NDP’s—hangs in the balance, with Burnaby Central as the battleground that could define Canada’s political landscape.