Ontario Liberal Party leadership elections

This is a list of results of leadership elections for the Ontario Liberal Party, a political party in Ontario, Canada.

Note: Before 1919, the leaders of the Ontario Liberal Party were chosen by its elected Members of the Legislative Assembly. There were calls for a more open process as early as 1907.

1919 leadership convention

(Held on June 26, 1919 at the Foresters' Hall, 22 College Street, Toronto.)[1]

First ballot:

Second ballot:

Charles Martin Bowman, MPP for Bruce North; W.T.R. Preston, editor of the Port Hope Evening Guide, Rev. W. G. Charlton of Aylmer, and A. J. Young of Toronto were nominated but declined. Frederick Forsyth Pardee, Member of Parliament for Lambton West was to be nominated but sent a message to the convention declining.[2]

1922 leadership convention

(Held on March 3, 1922 at the Foresters' Hall, 22 College Street, Toronto.)[3]

(Note: The vote totals do not appear to have been announced.)

1930 leadership convention

(Held on December 16–17, 1930 at the King Edward Hotel in Toronto.)[4]

W.E.N. Sinclair and Sydney Tweed both withdrew from the race before balloting.

1943 leadership convention

(Held on April 30, 1943 at the King Edward Hotel in Toronto.)

There were 8 spoiled ballots. Premier Gordon Conant had also been a candidate but collapsed the morning of the leadership vote and withdrew.

1945 leadership election

(Held on April 2, 1945 at the King Edward Hotel in Toronto.)

Harry Nixon resigned as Liberal leader on December 10, 1944 and nominated Hepburn to succeed him as parliamentary leader until a leadership convention could be held.[5] Following the defeat of George Drew's Conservative government in a non-confidence motion, Hepburn was elected Acting Leader on April 2, 1945, at a joint meeting held at the King Edward Hotel of Ontario Liberal MPPs, federal Ontario Liberal MPs the party executive and other party officials in order to lead the party into the election. The move was to be affirmed by a party convention to be held on May 1, but this was cancelled due to the 1945 provincial election being underway.[6][7][8]Hepburn was defeated in the 1945 provincial election, and Farquhar Oliver was chosen as the Ontario Liberal Party's parliamentary leader on July 4, 1945.

1947 leadership convention

(Held on May 16, 1947 at the King Edward Hotel in Toronto)[9][10]

(Note: Complete vote totals were not reported. Oliver received 492 of 661 votes cast)[10]

1950 leadership convention

(Held on November 10, 1950 at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto.)[11]

First ballot:

Second ballot (Sullivan eliminated; Hicks, Cox and Hipel withdrew):

Third ballot (Calder eliminated):

1954 leadership convention

(Held on April 9, 1954 at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto.)[12]

1958 leadership convention

(Held on April 20, 1958 at the King Edward Hotel in Toronto.)[13]

First ballot:

Wren eliminated and endorsed Wintermeyer; Whicher and Reaume withdrew and endorsed Wintermeyer.[14]

Second ballot:

Singer eliminated.

Third ballot:

1964 leadership convention

(Held on September 19–20, 1964 at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto.)

Delegate support by ballot
Candidate1st ballot2nd ballot3rd ballot4th ballot5th ballot6th ballot
NameVotes cast%Votes cast%Votes cast%Votes cast%Votes cast%Votes cast%
Andy Thompson37927.740829.746233.652038.153939.977258.8
Charles Templeton31723.135625.939628.842230.941931.054041.2
Robert Nixon31322.835125.635625.938728.339229.0
Joe Greene23617.221115.414910.9372.7
Victor Copps614.5272.0100.7
Eddie Sargent513.7201.5
Joseph Gould130.9
Total1,370100.01,373100.01,373100.01,366100.01,350100.01,312100.0

1967 leadership convention

(Held on January 6, 1967 at the Royal York Hotel, Toronto)[15]

(Nixon was elected interim leader by the caucus on November 16, 1966 following the resignation of Andrew Thompson. Nixon had suggested that Charles Templeton may become permanent leader but members of his caucus spoke in opposition and Templeton decline to run. Nixon was acclaimed as permanent leader at the party's 1967 convention. He announced his resignation as party leader in 1972, but subsequently entered the race to succeed himself in 1973.)

1973 leadership convention

(Held on October 28, 1973 at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto.)

Delegate support by ballot
Candidate1st ballot2nd ballot3rd ballot
NameVotes cast%Votes cast%Votes cast%
Robert Nixon73042.576845.392257.7
Norman Cafik57433.461336.167542.3
Donald Deacon40223.431618.6Endorsed Nixon
Michael Houlton110.6No endorsement
Total1,717100.01,697100.01,597100.0

1976 leadership convention

(Held on January 24–25, 1976 at the Four Seasons Sheraton Hotel, Toronto)

Delegate support by ballot
Candidate1st ballot2nd ballot3rd ballot
NameVotes cast%Votes cast%Votes cast%
Stuart Smith62932.074238.599851.2
David Peterson51826.467334.995348.8
Albert Roy46923.951326.6No Endorsement
Mark MacGuigan30815.7No Endorsement
Larry Condon371.9No Endorsement
Michael Houlton40.2No endorsement
Total1,965100.01,928100.01,951100.0

1982 leadership convention

(Held on February 21, 1982 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, Toronto).

  = Eliminated from next round
  = Withdrew nomination
  = Winner
Delegate support by ballot
Candidate1st Ballot2nd Ballot
NameVotes%Votes%
David Peterson96646.3113655.2
Sheila Copps63630.577437.6
Richard Thomas23411.21487.2
Jim Breithaupt1306.2
John Sweeney1225.8
Votes cast by ballot
Total2088100.02058100.0

1992 leadership convention

(Held February 8–9, 1992 at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton.)

  = Eliminated from next round
  = Withdrew nomination
  = Winner
Delegate support by ballot
Candidate1st Ballot2nd Ballot3rd Ballot4th Ballot5th Ballot [A]
NameVotes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%
Murray Elston74030.276731.886535.698841.6115349.8
Lyn McLeod66727.274430.987335.9104944.1116250.2
Greg Sorbara34514.138015.840216.634114.3Released delegates
Charles Beer24710.130712.728911.9Released delegates
Steve Mahoney2369.62138.8Supported McLeod
David Ramsay2168.8Released delegates
Votes cast by ballot
Total2451100.02411100.02429100.02378100.02315100.0
A There were 21 spoiled ballots on the final count.

1996 leadership convention

(Held November 30 – December 1, 1996 at the Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto)

  = Eliminated from next round
  = Withdrew nomination
  = Winner
Delegate support by ballot
Candidateelected delegates1st Ballot
(7:31pm)
2nd Ballot
(10:25pm)[A]
3rd Ballot
(12:39am)
4th Ballot
(2:35am)
5th Ballot
(4:25am)
NameVotes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%
Gerard Kennedy70329.577030.177530.980331.996840.1106546.9
Joseph Cordiano49720.855721.857022.760123.969628.8Supported McGuinty
Dwight Duncan39316.546418.147418.950920.3Supported Kennedy
Dalton McGuinty41017.245017.644017.660123.975031.1120553.1
John Gerretsen1295.41526.01245.0Supported McGuinty
Anna-Marie Castrilli1104.61415.51224.9Supported McGuinty
Greg Kells170.7240.9Released delegates
Independent1275.3
Total2386100.02558100.02505100.02514100.02414100.02270100.0
A Castrilli initially withdrew from the 2nd ballot but subsequently returned, causing a delay in voting

2013 leadership election

(Held January 26, 2013 at the Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto)

  = Eliminated from next round
  = Withdrew nomination
  = Winner
Delegate support by ballot
CandidateCommitted[16]Ballot 1Ballot 2Ballot 3
NameVotesVotesVotes+/- (pp)Votes+/- (pp)
Sandra Pupatello509
27.4%
599
28.7%
817
39.4%
+10.7866
43.0%
+5.8%
Kathleen Wynne468
25.2%
597
28.6%
750
36.2%
+7.61,150
57.0%
+20.8
Gerard Kennedy260
14.0%
281
13.5%
285
13.7%
+0.2Endorsed Wynne
Harinder Takhar244
13.1%
235
11.3%
18
0.9%
-10.4Endorsed Pupatello[A]
Charles Sousa204
11.0%
222
10.7%
203
9.8%
-0.9Endorsed Wynne
Eric Hoskins105
5.7%
150
7.2%
Endorsed Wynne
Independent67
3.6%
Glen MurrayEndorsed Wynne
Votes cast and net change by ballot
Total1,8572,0842,073-112,016-57
A Takhar endorsed Pupatello before the second ballot voting took place, but after the deadline to drop off the ballot.

2020 leadership election

(Held March 6–7, 2020 at the International Centre, Mississauga)

CandidateDelegate Elected[17]First (final) ballot
Steven Del Duca1,17256.2%1,25858.8%
Michael Coteau37017.8%36316.9%
Kate Graham27313.1%29913.9%
Mitzie Hunter1306.2%1225.7%
Alvin Tedjo723.4%743.5%
Brenda Hollingsworth251.2%241.1%
Independent422.0%
Total20842140

There was one spoiled ballot.[18]

2023 leadership election

(Results announced December 2, 2023 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre)

A leadership election was held December 2, 2023 due to the June 2, 2022 resignation of Steven Del Duca as party leader following his party's poor result in the 2022 Ontario general election.

  = Winner
Results by round
Candidate1st round2nd round3rd round
Votes cast%Points allocated%Votes cast%Points allocated%Votes cast%Points allocated%
Bonnie Crombie5,55942.96%6,04746.73%6,91153.40%
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith3,32025.66%3,79229.30%6,02946.59%
Yasir Naqvi2,76021.33%3,10123.96%Eliminated
Ted Hsu1,30010.05%Eliminated
Total100%12,939100%100%12,940100%100%12,940100%

According to the party, 22,827 party members cast ballots[19] out of a total membership of over 100,000.[20]

References