Canadians have spoken, and the Liberal Leader Mark Carney is the winner of the 2025 federal election and the country's next prime minister. However, things would have taken a different turn if it had just been left up to Canadian students.
A fake election was held in time with the real Canadian 2025 federal election, and thousands of students voted. The results of the student-only election painted a much different picture from the reality of election night.
More than 900,000 elementary, middle, and high school students from 5,900 schools participated in Student Vote Canada 2025, an initiative encouraging young people to learn about voting. Before voting students learned about the different political parties and candidates, so they could head to the ballots informed.
The result of their fake election was a Conservative minority government, with Pierre Poilievre as the next Canadian prime minister. The CPC won 165 seats and 36.4% of the popular vote, and Poilievre retained his seat in the riding of Carleton, Ontario.
The Liberal Party formed the official opposition in the fake election, winning 145 seats and 31.7% of the popular vote, while leader Mark Carney won in the riding of Nepean, Ontario.
In this mock election, the Bloc Québecois got 18 seats and 2.1% of the popular vote, and the NDP won 13 seats and 14.5% of the popular vote. The Green Party won two seats and 7.5% of the popular vote.
The Student Vote Canada 2025.Student Vote Canada
As you probably know by now, the real Canadian federal election had a different result.
As of Tuesday morning, the Liberals are set to win another term. It is not yet confirmed if it will be a minority or majority government, but as of about 8 a.m., the party had 168 expected seats and 43.5% of the popular vote.
Pierre Poilievre is set to lose his seat in his riding of Carleton, as the Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy is currently topping the polls, as of Tuesday morning. The Conservatives will be the official opposition with 144 expected seats and 41.4% of the popular vote.
Yves-François Blanchet did indeed keep his seat in Beloeil-Chambly, and Mark Carney kept his in the riding of Nepean – both as the student vote predicted. The Bloc Québécois performed better than in the student vote, with 23 seats and 6.4% of the national vote.
The students were correct about Jagmeet Singh losing his Burnaby South seat. Singh has announced he will step down after a disappointing election night that saw the party lose fall short of official party status, with only seven expected seats and a 6.3% share.
The students' vote also reflected the Green Party's night. Jonathan Pedneault failed to win his seat, while Elizabeth May was victorious in the Saanich-Gulf Islands riding. The Green Party is projected to get just one seat and 1.2% of the vote.
Previously, in 2021, the mock student vote resulted in a minority Liberal government, with 117 seats and 24% of the vote. The NDP came in close with 107 seats, leading in the popular vote at 29%. The Conservatives followed with 91 seats and 25%, while the Bloc and Greens picked up 20 and 3 seats, respectively.
All in all, young students have a different idea of what the political landscape should be!
You can read more about the projected results, Mark Carney's dramatic victory speech, Jagmeet Singh's resignation as party leader, and more, at Narcity's election hub.