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“While we could have won lots of seats, it would have meant a Pierre Poilievre majority Conservative government, and I could not stomach that,” Singh said, making the argument that an election would have jeopardized progress on pharmacare deals and dental care expansion. “I love my party. I care deeply about it. I want us to win. I want us to up our seats. I know we’re good for people. But in that moment, I made a decision for the interest of the country ahead of my party. And that was a decision I made wide-eyed, and I stand by that decision.”

The NDP leader also acknowledged his party’s falling fortunes, but defended his campaign, saying he could not have predicted U.S. President Donald Trump’s ascent to power and threats to Canada that have led to the rapid resurgence of the Liberals under Mark Carney and upended the election race.

“Really, I have no regrets,” Singh said during the virtual interview. “I couldn’t control the outcome of the fact that Donald Trump came in and Trudeau resigned. I had no control over those circumstances.”

His candid comments come as New Democrats spend the final days of the election campaign trying to prevent a Liberal majority, which could come at the cost of the NDP.

On Thursday, Singh said plainly he no longer believes Poilievre’s Conservatives can form government, and doubled down on his pitch to progressive Canadians that a viable NDP is needed to hold a Mark Carney government accountable.

“The math is just not there for the Conservatives,” he said. “People have chosen and this the way it looks like they’re headed. And I’m saying don’t give (Carney) all the power. Mark Carney is going to do things that are really problematic, and his track record is one that’s very problematic.”

It’s the pitch Singh has made to New Democrats across B.C., in Edmonton and Winnipeg, where the NDP leader travelled this week to shore up support in incumbent ridings.

On Tuesday in Edmonton, Singh was joined by former Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, who urged party faithful to remain hopeful despite any setbacks.

“Sometimes you catch a wave and you win big,” she said, referencing her own triumph in 2015. “More often, you win the long way. You show up. You listen. You do the work. You go door to door, meeting to meeting, year after year. You take the punches. Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win. But no matter what, you come back swinging.”

Thursday, Singh is making a stop in Toronto, where he is expected to meet and receive the endorsement of major GTA entrepreneur and philanthropist Mohamad Fakih. Fakih, the founder of Paramount Fine Foods, is a longtime Liberal who recently scaled back his support for the party due to what he said was inadequate support for Palestinians.

Singh will then head to Southwestern Ontario, where the party has three long-held seats also being threatened by Carney’s Liberals.聽

One of those incumbents, Hamilton Centre’s Matthew Green, told the National Post this week the NDP needs to undergo a聽process of 鈥渟oul searching鈥� about 鈥渨ho we are鈥� following the federal election.

Singh, who has dodged all questions about his leadership in this election, told the Star on Thursday the NDP is “obviously going to do a review” of the campaign, but insisted the party remains focused on the last days of the election.

“We always do that type of review of what we could do better and how we can improve, so we’ll do that for sure,” he said.