The dust has finally settled, but honestly, the 45th Canadian federal election felt more like a fever dream than a standard political cycle. If you were refreshing the Canada election 2025 CBC results page on April 28, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It wasn't just another vote. It was the moment the Liberal Party pulled off what many analysts called a "political resurrection" under a brand-new leader, Mark Carney, while the Conservatives saw their leader, Pierre Poilievre, lose his own seat in a massive upset.
Basically, we went into that Monday expecting a total Tory landslide and woke up Tuesday to a Liberal minority that almost nobody saw coming six months prior.
The CBC Decision Desk Drama
The night was wild. I remember watching the CBC live stream and seeing the "Decision Desk" hold back on making a call for hours. It wasn't until nearly 4:00 p.m. the next day—Tuesday, April 29—that they finally projected a Liberal minority.
The numbers were tight. The Liberals ended up with 169 seats, just three shy of the 172 needed for a majority. The Conservatives, despite a massive surge in the popular vote, landed at 144. It’s kinda weird when you look at the popular vote—the Liberals actually won it for the first time since 2015 with 43.76%, but the map was so polarized that the seat count didn't quite reflect the raw totals.
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Why the Map Flipped
The real story was in the "blue-collar" ridings. CBC’s analysis showed the Conservatives picking up traditionally NDP seats in places like Windsor West and Elmwood-Transcona. But the Liberals managed to offset those losses by cannibalizing the Bloc Québécois in Montreal's South Shore and snatching up NDP strongholds in British Columbia.
It was a total bloodbath for the smaller parties. The NDP had its worst night in history, falling to just 7 seats and—wait for it—losing official party status for the first time since '93. Jagmeet Singh didn't just lose the party's status; he lost his own seat in Burnaby Central.
The Mark Carney Factor
So, how did the Liberals do it? For a long time, the narrative was that the party was "tired" under Justin Trudeau. When Trudeau resigned in early 2025 and Mark Carney took the reins in March, everything shifted. Carney didn't run on the old Liberal playbook. He leaned hard into his background as a former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor.
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With US President Donald Trump making threats about annexation and slapping tariffs on Canadian exports, Carney's "steady hand" narrative actually started to stick. He framed the election not as a choice between left and right, but as a choice between stability and chaos. Honestly, it worked. The "Trump/Poilievre/Carney" mindset dominated the airwaves, and Carney managed to position himself as the only guy who could talk to the White House without getting bullied.
The Carleton Shocker
Perhaps the biggest headline from the Canada election 2025 CBC coverage was the defeat of Pierre Poilievre in his own riding of Carleton. Losing the leadership of the country is one thing; losing your own seat is a whole different level of hurt. Liberal newcomer Bruce Fanjoy managed to topple Poilievre by a margin of about 5%, ending a 21-year streak for the Conservative leader.
What People Got Wrong About the Platforms
Most people thought this election would be entirely about the "Axe the Tax" slogan. While the carbon tax was a massive talking point, the late-game surge in interest around US-Canada relations changed the math.
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- Taxation: The Conservatives promised to cut the lowest tax bracket to 12.75%, while Carney's Liberals promised a more modest 1% cut but coupled it with a "Sovereignty Fund" to protect Canadian industries from US tariffs.
- Housing: Both parties promised millions of new homes, but the CBC "Vote Compass" showed that voters were increasingly skeptical of both plans, focusing instead on the immediate cost of living.
- The CBC Itself: One of the most heated debates was actually about the broadcaster you're reading about. The Conservatives had pledged to "defund" the CBC, while the Liberals promised a new "statutory funding model" to make it independent of yearly parliamentary votes.
The Aftermath and Where We Are Now
It is now January 2026, and the political landscape is still shifting. Pierre Poilievre eventually got back into the House of Commons through a by-election in Alberta (thanks to Damien Kurek stepping aside), but his leadership is currently under a microscope. Conservative members are heading to Calgary later this month for a leadership review that could determine if he stays the boss.
Meanwhile, Carney is in Beijing right now—the first visit by a Canadian PM since 2017—trying to diversify our trade so we aren't so reliant on a volatile US market.
Actionable Insights for the 45th Parliament
If you're trying to keep track of how this minority government actually functions, here are a few things to watch:
- Watch the "Floor Crossers": We've already seen two Conservative MPs (Chris d'Entremont and Michael Ma) cross the floor to join the Liberal caucus. If the Liberals can entice one or two more, they hit that magic 172 number for a majority.
- The NDP Leadership Race: With Singh gone, the NDP is in the "wilderness." Their choice of a new leader will determine if they continue to support Carney's Liberals in confidence votes or if they'll try to trigger another election.
- CBC Mandate Review: The government is expected to drop a major report on the future of the CBC later this year. This will be the litmus test for Carney’s promise to "modernize" the public broadcaster.
The Canada election 2025 CBC results proved that Canadian politics is far more volatile than we like to admit. The transition from the Trudeau era to the Carney era happened in a blink, and the map of the country has been fundamentally redrawn. Keep a close eye on the seat counts this spring—the margin for error in the House of Commons has never been thinner.