Pierre Poilievre Loses Seat in Stunning Carleton Upset as Liberals Secure Minority Government
In one of the most shocking results of the 2025 federal election, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre has been defeated in his long-held Ottawa-area riding of Carleton, bringing an end to his nearly two-decade run as a Member of Parliament.
Preliminary results reported just before 5 a.m. showed Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy clinching victory with 50.6 per cent of the vote. Fanjoy secured 42,374 votes compared to 38,581 for Poilievre, flipping a seat the Conservative leader had comfortably won in past elections.
The outcome in Carleton is certain to spark speculation about Poilievre’s political future, especially as it comes on a night when his party improved its national standing—adding over 20 seats and achieving its highest share of the popular vote since 1988—yet still fell short of toppling the Liberals.
Speaking to supporters earlier in the evening, Poilievre acknowledged the broader gains made by the party and reaffirmed his commitment to remain as leader. “To my fellow Conservatives, we have much to celebrate,” he said. “Tonight we’ve gained well over 20 seats. We got the highest share of the vote our party has received since 1988.”
Carleton was the only riding in Ottawa to unseat an incumbent MP. The loss comes despite an aggressive ground campaign by Poilievre’s team in a riding he had represented since first being elected in 2004. The riding spans western and southern parts of Ottawa and had been considered a Conservative stronghold.
Fanjoy, a former business executive and community volunteer, celebrated the victory in a social media post at 5:08 a.m., writing: “Thank you, Carleton. As we’ve said from the beginning, together we can. I’m grateful and humbled by everyone who contributed to our campaign. To all the people of Carleton, as your new Member of Parliament, I’ll work to bring us together. We are all Canadians. We have to look out for ourselves, and we have to take care of each other. Let’s get to work.”
The riding drew national attention not just for its high-profile candidates but also for the record number of names on the ballot—91 in total—prompted by a protest movement advocating for electoral reform. According to Elections Canada, 90 of the 91 candidates received at least one vote.
Voter turnout in Carleton reached an impressive 79 per cent, with nearly 44,000 ballots cast during advance polls alone, the highest early voting figure in the country.
Nationally, Mark Carney’s Liberals secured a fourth mandate, returning to power with a minority government. Carney himself won his seat in the neighbouring riding of Nepean.