Liberal Party of Canada leadership elections

The first three leaders of the Liberal Party of Canada were not chosen at a leadership convention. Alexander Mackenzie (March 1873 – April 1880) and Edward Blake (May 1880 – June 1887) were chosen by the party caucus. Wilfrid Laurier (June 1887 – February 1919) was also chosen by caucus members with the party convention of 1893 ratifying his leadership. The most recent leadership election was held in 2013.

The first Liberal leadership convention was held on August 7, 1919. Balloting continued until one candidate won a majority of votes. After the 1919 convention, a system was adopted where the candidate with the fewest votes on a given ballot is automatically dropped. More recently, any candidate with less than 5% of the vote on the first ballot is also automatically dropped. Since 1919, time has also been given between ballots for candidates to announce if they wish to withdraw and throw their support to another candidate.

The 2009 Liberal leadership election was the last one in which the leader was chosen by delegates. Future leadership elections were to be conducted according to a weighted one member, one vote system in which all party members could cast ballots but in which they would be counted so that each riding had equal weight. This system, however, has been modified in the 2012 Biennial Convention in Ottawa. In addition to the card-carrying membership, registered supporters, a newly created category of Liberal sympathisers, given the right to vote in their constituency.

1919 leadership convention results
Main article: 1919 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

The 1919 leadership convention was held in Ottawa, Ontario on August 7, 1919.

Delegate support by ballot
Candidate 1st ballot 2nd ballot 5th ballot
Votes cast % Votes cast % Votes cast %
KING, William Lyon Mackenzie 344 36.3% 411 43.8% 476 52.1%
FIELDING, William Stevens 297 31.3% 344 36.6% 438 47.9%
GRAHAM, George Perry 153 16.2% 124 13.2% Withdrew
MCKENZIE, Daniel Duncan 153 16.2% 60 6.4% Withdrew
Total 947 100.0% 939 100.0% 914 100.0%

Graham withdrew while voting for the third ballot was underway. McKenzie withdrew while voting for the fourth ballot was in process. Votes were not counted for either one, and the convention proceeded directly to the fifth ballot.

1948 leadership convention results
Main article: 1948 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

The 1948 leadership convention was held in Ottawa on August 7, 1948.

First Ballot
Candidate Delegate Support Percentage
ST. LAURENT, Louis Stephen 848 69.1%
GARDINER, James Garfield 323 26.3%
POWER, Charles Gavan 56 4.6%
Total 1,227 100%

1958 leadership convention results
Main article: 1958 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

The 1958 leadership convention was held in Ottawa on January 16, 1958.

First Ballot
Candidate Delegate Support Percentage
PEARSON, Lester Bowles 1,074 77.8%
MARTIN, Paul Joseph James 305 22.1%
HENDERSON, Harold Lloyd 1 0.1%
Total 1,380 100%

1968 leadership convention results
Main article: 1968 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

The 1968 leadership convention was held in Ottawa Civic Centre in Ottawa, Ontario on April 6, 1968.

Delegate support by Ballot
Candidate 1st ballot 2nd ballot 3rd ballot 4th ballot
Votes cast % Votes cast % Votes cast % Votes cast %
TRUDEAU, Pierre Elliott 752 31.5% 964 40.5% 1,051 44.2% 1,203 50.9%
HELLYER, Paul Theodore 330 13.8% 465 19.5% 377 15.9% Endorsed Winters
WINTERS, Robert Henry 293 12.3% 473 19.9% 621 26.1% 954 40.3%
MARTIN, Paul Joseph James 277 11.6% Did not endorse
TURNER, John Napier 277 11.6% 347 14.6% 279 11.8% 195 8.2%
GREENE, John James 169 7.1% 104 4.4% 29 12.2% Endorsed Trudeau
MACEACHEN, Allan Joseph 163 6.8% 11 0.5% Endorsed Trudeau[A]
KIERANS, Eric William 103 4.3% Did not endorse
HENDERSON, Harold Lloyd 0 - Did not endorse
Spoiled ballots 24 1.0% 15 0.6% 19 0.8% 13 0.6%
Total 2,390 100.0% 2,379 100.0% 2,376 100.0% 2,365 100.0%
A MacEachen announced after the first ballot that he was withdrawing and would support Trudeau, but he missed the deadline to remove his name from the ballot.

1980 leadership convention
Main article: 1980 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

A leadership convention was scheduled for late March 1980, in Winnipeg, Manitoba but was cancelled due to the fall of the Progressive Conservative government on December 13, 1979 and the calling of the February 18, 1980 federal election. As a result of the snap election call, the Liberal caucus and party executive persuaded Pierre Trudeau to rescind his resignation as party leader and lead the Liberals into the election.

1984 leadership convention results
Main article: 1984 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

The 1984 leadership convention was held in Ottawa on June 16, 1984.

Delegate support by Ballot
Candidate 1st ballot 2nd ballot
Votes cast % Votes cast %
TURNER, John Napier 1,593 46.4% 1,862 53.9%
CHRÉTIEN, Joseph Jacques Jean 1,067 31.1% 1,398 40.5%
JOHNSTON, Donald James 278 8.1% 192 5.6%
ROBERTS, John (Moody) 185 5.4% Endorsed Chrétien
MACGUIGAN, Mark R. 135 3.9% Endorsed Turner
MUNRO, John Carr 93 2.7% Endorsed Chrétien
WHELAN, Eugene Francis 84 2.4% Endorsed Chrétien
Spoiled ballots 2 - 1 -
Total 3,437 100.0% 3,453 100.0%

1990 leadership convention results
Main article: 1990 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

The 1990 leadership convention was held in Calgary, Alberta on June 23, 1990.

First Ballot
Candidate Delegate Support Percentage
CHRÉTIEN, Joseph Jacques Jean 2,652 56.8%
MARTIN, Paul Edgar Philippe 1,176 25.2%
COPPS, Sheila Maureen 499 10.7%
WAPPEL, Thomas (Tom) William 267 5.7%
NUNZIATA, John V. 64 1.4%
Spoiled ballots 10 0.2%
Total 4,668 100%

2003 leadership convention results
Main article: 2003 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

The 2003 leadership convention was held in Toronto, Ontario on November 14, 2003.

First Ballot
Candidate Delegate Support Percentage
MARTIN, Paul Edgar Philippe 3,242 93.8%
COPPS, Sheila Maureen 211 6.1%
Spoiled ballots 2 0.1%
Total 3,455 100%

Source: Parliament of Canada website

2006 leadership convention results
Main article: 2006 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

The 2006 leadership convention was held at the Palais des congrès de Montréal in Montreal, Quebec on December 2–3, 2006.

  = Eliminated from next round
  = Withdrew nomination
  = Winner
Delegate support by Ballot
Candidate 1st ballot 2nd ballot 3rd ballot 4th ballot
Votes cast % Votes cast % Votes cast % Votes cast %
IGNATIEFF, Michael Grant 1,412 29.3% 1,481 31.8% 1,660 34.5% 2,084 45.3%
RAE, Robert Keith (Bob) 977 20.3% 1,132 24.1% 1.375 28.5% Released delegates
DION, Stéphane Maurice 856 17.8% 974 20.8% 1.782 37.0% 2,521 54.7%
KENNEDY, Gerard Michael 854 17.7% 884 18.8% Endorsed Dion
DRYDEN, Kenneth Wayne (Ken) 238 4.9% 219 4.7% Endorsed Rae
BRISON, Scott A. 192 4.0% Endorsed Rae
VOLPE, Giuseppe Joseph (Joe) 156 3.2% Withdrew before 1st ballot began; endorsed Rae
HALL FINDLAY, Martha 130 2.7% Endorsed Dion
Total 4,815 100.0% 4,690 100.0% 4,817 100.0% 4,605 100.0%

2009 leadership convention results
Main article: 2009 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

The 2009 leadership convention was held at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia from April 30-May 3, 2009.

Due to the selection of Michael Ignatieff as interim leader as a result of the 2008–2009 Canadian parliamentary dispute and an agreement by other candidates to withdraw in favour of Ignatieff, the 2009 convention served to ratify Ignatieff's leadership and was not a contested leadership vote. Bob Rae and Dominic LeBlanc withdrew in December 2008 (five months prior to the convention) allowing Ignatieff to become leader by default.

First Ballot
Candidate Delegate Support Percentage
IGNATIEFF, Michael Grant 1,964 97%
Spoiled ballots 59 3%
Total 2,023 100%

2013 leadership election
Main article: 2013 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

The leadership election was held on April 14, 2013.

First Ballot
Candidate
Votes cast % Points allocated %
TRUDEAU, Justin Pierre James 81,389 78.76% 24,668.71 80.09%
MURRAY, Joyce 12,148 11.76% 3,130.76 10.16%
HALL FINDLAY, Martha 6,585 6.37% 1,760.43 5.72%
CAUCHON, Martin 1,630 1.58% 815.86 2.65%
COYNE, Deborah Margaret Ryland 833 0.81% 214.14 0.70%
MCCRIMMON, Karen Anne 757 0.73% 210.08 0.68%
Rejected Ballots 1,210
Total 104,552 100.00 30,800 100.00

References
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