Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, April 29: The first person of Tibetan origin to be elected to public office in North America,Bhutila Karpoche, the candidate of the Democratic Party for Taiaiako’n—Parkdale—High Park, has secured second-place in yesterday’s Canadian parliamentary election.
With 220 of 221 polls reporting, Karpoche garnered 14,665 votes, representing 23.05% of the total ballots cast. The riding was won by Liberal Party candidate Karim Bardeesy, who received 35,333 votes (55.54%), while Conservative Party candidate Wladyslaw Lizon finished third with 12,452 votes (19.57%).
Karpoche, who currently serves as the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Parkdale–High Park in the Ontario Legislative Assembly, was seeking to make history once again by becoming a Member of Parliament. In 2018, she made headlines as the first person of Tibetan origin to be elected to public office in North America when she won her seat in the provincial legislature.
The Taiaiako’n—Parkdale—High Park riding, previously known as Parkdale—High Park before boundary adjustments for the 2025 federal election, saw strong voter participation with a turnout of 69.14% – 63,618 of 92,011 registered electors casting their ballots.
Throughout her campaign, Karpoche received strong support from the Tibetan community in Toronto and prominent Tibetan artists and activists across North America. Parkdale–High Park is home to one of the largest Tibetan communities in Canada.
During her provincial tenure as MPP, Karpoche proposed legislation to designate July as Tibetan Heritage Month, which became law in Ontario in September 2020. She also founded the Ontario Parliament’s Friends of Tibet initiative and hosts regular Tibet Day events.
Currently serving as the First Deputy Chair of the Ontario Legislative Assembly, Karpoche has been recognised for her advocacy on affordable housing, workers’ rights, and public healthcare. Her accolades include being named Toronto’s Best MPP by NOW Magazine readers and being listed as one of Canada’s Top 25 Immigrants by Canadian Immigrant Magazine.
3 Responses
Bhutila is very popular in High Park Parkdale but this time it was mostly the strategic voting (progressives voting for Liberals to keep Conservative out) that benefited the Liberals. She lost by a huge margin (over 21,000 votes), so I doubt Tibetan votes would have made much of a difference this time.
However, I do believe that Bhutila should engage more with Tibetans living in Parkdale because their votes matter. Most of the people who were pictured along with Bhutila in this Phayul article (https://www.phayul.com/2025/04/28/52145/) do not live in her Parkdale constituency and the previous poster’s observation about the character and integrity of some of these supporters are not far from the truth!
While I firmly believe Bhuti-la was the most deserving candidate in this election, the final result told a different story, one that is both disheartening and difficult to reconcile. I sincerely hope she will continue to refine her campaign strategy and return stronger in the next round.
It is also worth reflecting on the nature of the support that emerged during this election. A significant portion of it came from individuals who, frankly, lack the trust and confidence of the broader Tibetan community, yet were still described by outlets like Phayul as “influential figures.” In a campaign of this importance, both the credibility of the supporters and the character of the campaigners matter deeply.
I truly hope Bhuti-la chooses to run again, and that next time, she is backed by genuinely respected and trusted voices within the Tibetan community, individuals whose influence is rooted in integrity and public confidence.
It didn’t matter who was the most deserving candidate, people voted strategically to ensure that a leader that they believed should be the PM of Canada won. Bhutila’s party lost badly and it had nothing to do with her. She would have won the provincial seat easily but she was contesting the federal seat this time and the stakes were too high.