FORT FRANCES, Ont. - The NDP is preparing to return to work at the legislature and won't be distracted with questions about the party's leadership or its lack of gains in the election, New Democrat Leader Howard Hampton said Thursday.

The final election results were a sucker punch for New Democrat supporters, who were ecstatic when early numbers suggested they might pick up an additional half dozen seats and end up with around 20 per cent of the popular vote.

But the numbers -- and the party's spirits -- sank as the night wore on and a few close races that could have gone either way resulted in crushing losses for New Democrat candidates.

Hampton conceded it was disappointing to come so close and not pick up any additional seats.

"There were some good things about last night and some not so good things,'' Hampton said.

"If we had 1,000 votes distributed differently we would've won four more seats, but that's the way it goes.''

But Hampton said the party will not dwell on the losses and will now prepare to get back to work in the legislature.

Hampton said he believes he has the support of his party, although the issue of his leadership will come up again during the party's provincial council, which will probably be held in December.

"We'll look at the election results and then we'll make a decision on where we go from there,'' Hampton said.

The NDP fell just over 600 votes short of defeating Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay in Timiskaming-Cochrane.

It would have been a huge moral victory for the NDP to knock out a cabinet minister in a northern Ontario riding, especially because Hampton had campaigned heavily on strengthening protections for forestry jobs.

And it was another heartbreaking NDP loss in the northern riding of Thunder Bay-Atikokan, where Liberal incumbent Bill Mauro narrowly won by only 36 votes.

Incumbent Paul Ferreira also lost to Liberal Laura Albanese in York-South Weston by just under 500 votes, only a few months after he had won the riding in a byelection by a similarly tight margin.

The NDP also had high hopes for the ridings of Ottawa-Centre, Hamilton Mountain and Oshawa but were just a few percentage points behind the leaders.

Hampton did take comfort in securing official party status, which the party didn't have after the previous elections in 1999 and 2003.

"We'll have a strong team, an experienced team and more resources than we started with last time,'' Hampton said.

Rumours will likely swirl around the Progressive Conservative party and the future of leader John Tory but the NDP will be ready to hold the Liberals accountable to their promises, Hampton said.

"(At) last count it was six dozen promises and $26 billion in spending and they're not going to raise your taxes, so I think there'll be a lot there to focus on,'' Hampton said.

He also said he was disappointed with the results of the referendum but wasn't surprised by the outcome.

"MMP, the way it was put forward by the McGuinty government, was designed to fail. I think that was obvious,'' he said.

But the NDP won't be campaigning for another shot at electoral reform any time soon, even though Hampton thinks it's badly needed.

"The referendum was held, whether it was fair or flawed . . . we'll focus now on the big issues that are there and clear for everyone.''