The 1996 Ontario Liberal Party leadership convention, held between November 29 and December 1, 1996 at the
Maple Leaf Gardens in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
elected Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. (born July 19, 1955) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 24th premier of Ontario from 2003 to 2013. He was the first Liberal leader to win two majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn nearl ...
as the new leader of the
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party (OLP; french: Parti libéral de l'Ontario, PLO) is a political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. The party has been led by interim leader John Fraser (Ontario MPP), John Fraser since August 2022.
The party esp ...
, replacing
Lyn McLeod, who announced her resignation following the 1995 Ontario provincial election.
The contest featured seven official candidates:
MPPs Anna-Marie Castrilli
Annamarie Castrilli is a former politician, lawyer, educator and rights advocate in Ontario, Canada.
Background
Castrilli was educated at the University of Toronto, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969, a Master of Arts degree in 1970, a ...
,
Joseph Cordiano
Joseph Cordiano (born October 30, 1957) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 to 2006 who represented the riding of Downsview. He served as a cabinet minister in the g ...
,
Dwight Duncan,
John Gerretsen
John Philip Gerretsen (born June 9, 1942) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2014 who represented the eastern Ontario riding of Kingston and the Islands. He ser ...
,
Gerrard Kennedy
Gerard Michael Kennedy (born July 24, 1960) is a Canadian politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as Ontario's Ministry of Education (Ontario), minister of Education from 2003 to 2006, when he resigned to make an unsuccessful bid for the 2006 ...
, and
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. (born July 19, 1955) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 24th premier of Ontario from 2003 to 2013. He was the first Liberal leader to win two majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn nearl ...
, and businessman Greg Kells. McGuinty lost the subsequent
1999 provincial election but won in
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
and served as
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
for almost ten years until
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
.
Background
Lyn McLeod, a cabinet minister in the government of Premier
David Peterson, was elected leader of the party in
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
following the defeat of the Peterson government in
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
. She defeated frontrunner
Murray Elston
Murray John Elston (born October 8, 1949) is a former politician in Ontario Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1981 to 1994 who represented the central Ontario ridings of Huron—Bruce and Bruce. He was ...
by nine votes on the fifth ballot, becoming the first woman to lead a major party in Ontario.
The party under McLeod had been leading in the polls for most of the period from 1992 to 1995, and were generally favoured to benefit from the swing in support away from the
NDP. However, the party hurt its credibility through a series of high-profile policy reversals in the period leading up to the election, the most notable being her stance on rights for
same-sex couples. Following her disappointing showing in the
1995 provincial election, McLeod announced in September 1995 she would step down as soon as a replacement is selected.
Early Campaign
Former cabinet ministers
Sean Conway
Sean Conway, (born July 24, 1951) is a former provincial politician in Ontario, Canada and a university professor. He served for 28 years as a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 2003, and was a high-profile cabin ...
,
Murray Elston
Murray John Elston (born October 8, 1949) is a former politician in Ontario Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1981 to 1994 who represented the central Ontario ridings of Huron—Bruce and Bruce. He was ...
and
Gerry Phillips were initially the leading contenders for the leadership. At a preliminary planning meeting hosted by the party in January 1996, prospective candidates sent representatives, including the four of the six MPPs eventually entered the race (excluding Duncan who was supporting Conway at the time, and Kennedy who was not an MPP at the time); MPPs Conway, Phillips,
Dominic Agostino
Dominic Agostino (October 14, 1959 – March 24, 2004) was a Canadian politician who represented the riding of Hamilton East for the Liberal Party in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 until his death in 2004.
Background
Born in Sic ...
,
Richard Patten
Richard Andrew Patten (May 13, 1942 – December 30, 2021) was a Canadian politician. Patten was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 1990 and again from 1995 to 2007. He represented the riding of Ottawa Centre. ...
;
federal environment minister Sergio Marchi, Toronto lawyer John Campion; and
Robert McMurtry
Robert McMurtry is a physician and special advisor to the Canadian Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care. He is actively involved in discussions on creating an accessible medical system for the Canadian public, and has long advocated for ...
, brother of former
Progressive Conservative Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
Roy McMurtry
Roy is a masculine given name and a family surname with varied origin.
In Anglo-Norman England, the name derived from the Norman ''roy'', meaning "king", while its Old French cognate, ''rey'' or ''roy'' (modern ''roi''), likewise gave rise to ...
.
Conway publicly declared his intention to run in the summer of 1995, and was widely perceived to have accumulated enough support within the caucus and the wider party to secure victory, but announced in late January 1996 that he would not be a candidate. Phillips announced his bid in late March after Conway's exit, quickly emerging as the frontrunner and garnering support from half of the caucus, but withdraw in April due to a heart ailment.
Duncan became the first caucus member to formally announce a bid in June, followed shortly by Kennedy in mid July. McGuinty, Cordiano, Castrilli and Gerretsen all officially entered the race in late August. Each candidate were required to pay a $50,000 non-refundable deposit.
Candidates
Anna-Marie Castrilli
Annamarie Castrilli is a former politician, lawyer, educator and rights advocate in Ontario, Canada.
Background
Castrilli was educated at the University of Toronto, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969, a Master of Arts degree in 1970, a ...
Castrilli, 47 a lawyer, was elected MPP for
Downsview
Downsview is a neighbourhood in the north end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located in the district of North York. The area takes its name from the Downs View farm established around 1842 near the present-day intersection of Keele Street and Wilso ...
in 1995. A former chair of the Governing Council of the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
, she served as the party's colleges and universities critic.
* Other prominent supporters: Federal Ministers
Jane Stewart (MP for
Brant) and
Art Eggleton (MP for
York Centre)
Joseph Cordiano
Joseph Cordiano (born October 30, 1957) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 to 2006 who represented the riding of Downsview. He served as a cabinet minister in the g ...
Cordiano, 39, was first elected MPP in 1985 for
Downsview
Downsview is a neighbourhood in the north end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located in the district of North York. The area takes its name from the Downs View farm established around 1842 near the present-day intersection of Keele Street and Wilso ...
, and served as MPP for
Lawrence
Lawrence may refer to:
Education Colleges and universities
* Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States
* Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States
Preparator ...
since 1987. He served as a
Parliamentary Assistant to several ministers during the Peterson government, and was the only candidate that has served in government. In opposition he was a prominent voice for the party within Toronto. At the start of the campaign, he was seen as the leading right-of-centre challenger to frontrunner Kennedy.
* Supporters in Caucus (4):
Elinor Caplan (
Oriole
Oriole or Orioles may refer to:
Animals
* Old World oriole, colorful passerine birds in the family Oriolidae
* New World oriole, a group of birds in the family Icteridae
Music
* The Orioles, an R&B and doo-wop group of the late 1940s and earl ...
),
John Cleary (
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
),
Alvin Curling
Alvin Curling (born November 15, 1939) is a Jamaican-born Canadian politician. He was Canada's envoy to the Dominican Republic from 2005 to 2006. A former politician in Ontario, Canada, he was Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario unt ...
(
Scarborough North),
Mario Sergio (
Yorkview
Yorkview was an Ontario provincial electoral district (riding), in the former city of North York from 1963 to 1999. The riding was established for the 1963 Ontario general election. The riding was abolished in preparation for the 1999 Ontario gener ...
)
* Other prominent supporters:
Tony Ianno
Anthony "Tony" Ianno (born 1957) is a businessman and a former Canadian politician. He served as a Liberal Party of Canada MP representing Trinity—Spadina (1993–2006) and Minister of Families and Caregivers (2004–06).
Personal life
Born ...
(MP for
Trinity—Spadina, cousin of Cordiano and served as campaign chair)
Dwight Duncan
Duncan, 37, was MPP
Windsor—Walkerville
Windsor—Walkerville was a federal electoral district that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1968 to 1988. It was located in the southwest corner of the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1966 from parts of E ...
since 1995. Duncan was an aide to prominent Windsor political figures like federal minister
Herb Gray and provincial minister
Bill Wrye, and served on
Windsor City Council
The Windsor City Council is the governing body of Windsor, Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically b ...
from 1988 until 1994. He campaigned on a cautious fiscal strategy but with plans for increased investment in health and education. Confidence with his chances, his campaign allowed a
CPAC camera crew to shadow him throughout the convention, capturing a number of less-than-flattering moments for Duncan.
* Supporters in Caucus (9):
Rick Bartolucci
Rick Bartolucci (born October 10, 1943) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2014. He represented the riding of Sudbury and was a cabinet minister in the governm ...
(
Sudbury Sudbury may refer to:
Places Australia
* Sudbury Reef, Queensland
Canada
* Greater Sudbury, Ontario (official name; the city continues to be known simply as Sudbury for most purposes)
** Sudbury (electoral district), one of the city's federal e ...
),
Michael Brown (
Algoma-Manitoulin),
Mike Colle
Michael Colle ( "Cole"; born February 1, 1945) is a Canadian politician who has represented Ward 8 Eglinton—Lawrence on Toronto City Council since the 2018 election. Colle served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2018 and ...
(
Oakwood),
Sean Conway
Sean Conway, (born July 24, 1951) is a former provincial politician in Ontario, Canada and a university professor. He served for 28 years as a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 2003, and was a high-profile cabin ...
(
Renfrew North
Renfrew North (also known as Renfrew North—Nipissing East) was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1979. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North Americ ...
),
Bruce Crozier
Bruce Crozier (June 26, 1938 – June 3, 2011) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the ridings of Essex South and Essex for the Ontario Liberal Party.
Background
Crozier ...
(
Essex South ''For the defunct provincial electoral district, see Essex South (provincial electoral district).''
Essex South was a federal and provincial electoral district (Canada), electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1882 to ...
), Pat Hoy (
Essex-Kent),
Frank Miclash (
Kenora
Kenora (), previously named Rat Portage (french: Portage-aux-Rats), is a city situated on the Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada, close to the Manitoba boundary, and about east of Winnipeg by road. It is the seat of Kenora District.
The his ...
),
Sandra Pupatello (
Windsor-Sandwich),
David Ramsay (
Timiskaming)
* Other prominent supporters: Federal Minister
Herb Gray (MP for
Windsor West
Windsor West (french: Windsor-Ouest) is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1968. Geography
The district consists of the part of the city of Windsor lying west an ...
); former MPP
Tim Murphy
John Gerretsen
John Philip Gerretsen (born June 9, 1942) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2014 who represented the eastern Ontario riding of Kingston and the Islands. He ser ...
Gerretsen, 54, was a lawyer who was elected MPP for
Kingston and the Islands in 1995. He served as a
Kingston Alderman/Councillor between 1972 and 1980, and served as
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
between 1980 and 1988. He was also President of the
Association of Municipalities of Ontario
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) is a non-profit organization representing municipal and regional governments in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created on June 22, 1972 through a merger of the Ontario Municipal Associa ...
from 1986 to 1987.
Greg Kells
Kells was an
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
area businessman, and the only candidate who was not in caucus.
Gerrard Kennedy
Gerard Michael Kennedy (born July 24, 1960) is a Canadian politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as Ontario's Ministry of Education (Ontario), minister of Education from 2003 to 2006, when he resigned to make an unsuccessful bid for the 2006 ...
Kennedy, 36, only entered the legislature at the end of May, when he won the by-election to replace former Premier
Bob Rae
Robert Keith Rae (born August 2, 1948) is a Canadian diplomat and former politician who is the current Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations since 2020. He previously served as the 21st premier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, leader of the ...
in
York South. He has however made a name of himself as the head of the
Daily Bread Food Bank. He was seen as the leading left-of-centre candidate, and was identified by the press as the early frontrunner.
* Supporters in Caucus (3):
Dominic Agostino
Dominic Agostino (October 14, 1959 – March 24, 2004) was a Canadian politician who represented the riding of Hamilton East for the Liberal Party in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 until his death in 2004.
Background
Born in Sic ...
(
Hamilton East),
Monte Kwinter
Monte Kwinter (born March 22, 1931) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 until 2018. He represented the riding of York Centre for much of that period. Kwinter was a ...
(
Wilson Heights),
Gerry Phillips (
Scarborough—Agincourt)
* Other prominent supporters: Former Peterson era ministers
Robert Nixon,
Bob Wong
Robert Charles Wong (; born April 27, 1941) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 1990 who represented the downtown Toronto riding of Fort York. He served as a ca ...
,
Chris Ward and
Charles Beer
John Charles McWaters Beer (born November 24, 1941) is a Canadian former politician. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 1995, and served as a cabinet minister in the government of David Peterson.
Backgrou ...
; former MPP
Dianne Poole; Senator
Keith Davey
Douglas Keith Davey, (April 21, 1926 January 17, 2011) was a Canadian politician and campaign organizer.
Family, early life and education
Born in Toronto, Ontario to Charles Minto Davey (Toronto Star Production Manager) and Grace Viola (née ...
.
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. (born July 19, 1955) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 24th premier of Ontario from 2003 to 2013. He was the first Liberal leader to win two majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn nearl ...
McGuinty, 41, a lawyer, succeeded his father
Dalton McGuinty Sr.
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty (August 13, 1926 – March 16, 1990) was a Canadian politician from Ontario. A member of the Ontario Liberal Party, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 1990. He represented the riding ...
as the MPP for
Ottawa South
Ottawa South (french: Ottawa-Sud) is a federal electoral district in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is represented in the House of Commons of Canada by David McGuinty, brother of former Premier of Ontario and Ottawa South MPP Dalton McGuinty ...
in 1990. He was seen as being from the more conservative wing of the party. Critics argued McGuinty was little more than 'Harris-lite'. Supporters countered that election of the
Mike Harris government marked a transformation of thinking in Ontario politics and that the Liberals needed a right-leaning leader to compete against Harris rather than someone who would compete against NDP for a diminishing number of left-leaning voters.
* Supporters in Caucus (4):
Bob Chiarelli (
Ottawa West
Ottawa West was a federal and provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1935 to 1997 and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1908 to 1926 and from 1955 to 1999. It cover ...
),
Bernard Grandmaître
Bernard "Ben" C. Grandmaître , (born June 24, 1933) is a former politician from Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1984 to 1999 who represented the riding of Ottawa East. He served as a cabinet ...
(
Ottawa East
Old Ottawa East or just Ottawa East (''Vieil Ottawa Est'' in French) is a neighbourhood in Capital Ward in central Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located south of Nicholas Street and between the Rideau Canal and the Rideau River, with Avenue Road ...
),
Gilles Morin
Gilles Morin (born July 20, 1931) is a retired politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 to 1999, and was briefly a cabinet minister in Ontario.
Background
Morin was educated ...
(
Carleton East
Carleton East was an electoral Riding (division), riding in Ontario, Canada. It was created for the 1967 election and was abolished in 1999 into Carleton—Gloucester and Ottawa—Vanier (provincial electoral district), Ottawa—Vanier.
From 1986 ...
),
Tony Ruprecht
Tony Ruprecht (born December 12, 1942) is a former Canadian politician. His first elected position was as an alderman in the old Toronto City Council, in the late 1970s. He became a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1981, and ser ...
(
Parkdale)
* Other prominent supporters:
Federal Industry Minister John Manley (MP for
Ottawa South
Ottawa South (french: Ottawa-Sud) is a federal electoral district in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is represented in the House of Commons of Canada by David McGuinty, brother of former Premier of Ontario and Ottawa South MPP Dalton McGuinty ...
), Former
Waterloo North
Waterloo North was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1968. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which entitled each of north and s ...
MPP
Herb Epp
Delegate selection
Under the procedure outlined by the party's constitution, all members of the party are eligible to cast a two-part ballot at one of the constituency association delegate selection meetings held across the province. Members vote directly for their choice of leadership candidate (or for "independent") in the top part of the ballot, and for up to 16 local delegates for the
leadership convention {{Politics of Canada
In Canadian politics, a leadership convention is held by a political party when the party needs to choose a leader due to a vacancy or a challenge to the incumbent leader.
Overview
In Canada, leaders of a party generally rem ...
in the bottom part of the ballot. There are also a number of women's and youth clubs that are entitled to elect delegates. Elected delegates were apportioned to leadership candidates based on their share of votes in the top part of the ballot, and are bounded to vote for their leadership candidates on the first ballot at the leadership convention. The small number of independent delegates elected can vote for whomever they chose at the convention. There were 2,386 elected delegates. There were also 514 ex-officio delegates made up of party insiders who were not committed to voting for any candidate.
Kennedy quickly attained front runner status in the race. Although he was only recently elected in a by-election he gained notoriety as head of the
Daily Bread Food Bank. He was known for criticising the NDP's food policy yet coming up with practical methods to combat hunger. While four years earlier many Liberals marginalized
Greg Sorbara, an Italian Canadian, as "the ethnic candidate" during the
1992 leadership contest, Cordiano, who served as Sorbara's parliamentary secretary and also an Italian Canadian, did not face the same barrier and was considered the primary challenger to Kennedy.
Kennedy emerged with a clear lead from the October delegate selection meetings. With almost 30% elected delegates, he had a lead of 200 delegates over his closest competitor. Duncan, Cordiano and McGuinty all elicited strong initial delegate support. Gerretsen, Castrilli and Kells were clearly long-shot candidates.
Convention
The leadership convention was scheduled to be held at Toronto's
Maple Leaf Gardens on November 29 and 30, 1996. It was remembered as a hard-fought 15½-hour battle and an organizational disaster. Although voting was supposed to start at 1 p.m. on Saturday, it didn't begin until more than two hours later, and the results of the first ballot were not available until 7:30 p.m.
Candidates in last place, or with less than 5 per cent of the vote, were eliminated after each ballot.
Kennedy led after the first ballot with 30%. Cordiano, Duncan and McGuinty battled for running up, with 22%, 18% and 18% respectively. After first ballot, Castilli first announced she was dropping out but then change her mind, contributing to a three-hour delay before the next ballot results were announced.
It was rumoured that McGuinty and Duncan had a deal that whoever was behind would drop out and endorse the other. (Other reports suggested McGuinty also had a similar deal with Cordiano.) McGuinty, who received less vote in the second ballot than the first ballot, was about to withdraw from the race after second ballot, but changed his mind as he unexpectedly received the endorsements of both Castrilli (who was eliminated) and Gerretsen (withdrawn).
Gerretsen said he and McGuinty made no deal, but that his own supporters and constituents favored an eastern Ontario candidate. Castrilli supporters suggested she felt a bond with the low-profile McGuinty as a party outsider. Castrilli and Gerretsen hoisted McGuinty into the pivotal third spot and pushed Duncan from the race after the third ballot.
The third ballot result was announced after midnight. Kennedy experienced very little growth, while McGuinty leapfrogged Duncan and tied Cordiano for second place. Duncan was eliminated and endorsed Kennedy. Duncan's decision infuriated many of his supporters, and less than half of his delegates went with him to Kennedy.
The results of the fourth ballot was announced at about 2:30 a.m. Cordiano was eliminated and threw his support to McGuinty. There was high drama as Cordiano crossed the crowded convention floor, where McGuinty came to meet him in the centre of convention hall in full view of all the delegates. Unlike Duncan, Cordiano delivered 80% of his delegate, and was thereby largely responsible for McGuinty's victory over Kennedy for the party's leadership.
The fifth ballot, past 4 AM, came to a final direct match between Kennedy, who had led all four ballots, and McGuinty, who had steadily risen from an initial fourth place and surged to victory by a convincing 1,205 to 1,065 margin.
Ballot results
: = Eliminated from next round
: = Withdrew nomination
: = Winner
:Castrilli initially withdrew from the 2nd ballot but subsequently returned, causing a delay in voting
Aftermath
After the contest, McGuinty named Cordiano, who was widely seen as the
kingmaker
A kingmaker is a person or group that has great influence on a royal or political succession, without themselves being a viable candidate. Kingmakers may use political, monetary, religious and military means to influence the succession. Origina ...
, as deputy leader. Cordiano was however replaced by
Gerry Phillips in 1998.
The subsequent 1999 election saw the legislature reduced from 130 to 103 seats, resulting in many MPPs having to compete with each other for re-election. Cordiano and Kennedy initially competed for the nomination in the redistributed riding of
York South—Weston
York South—Weston (french: York-Sud—Weston) is a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1979.
In 2015, York South—Weston elected Can ...
, but Kennedy was convinced by the party leadership to run in the new riding of
Parkdale—High Park. In a highly divisive and race-driven contest, Castrilli was defeated for the party's nomination in
York Centre by
Monte Kwinter
Monte Kwinter (born March 22, 1931) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 until 2018. He represented the riding of York Centre for much of that period. Kwinter was a ...
.
McGuinty unsuccessfully tried to convince Castrilli to run in a different riding. Castrilli defected on the day the writ was dropped, became the Progressive Conservative candidate against Kennedy in Parkdale—High Park, and was defeated by Kennedy.
Castrilli's indecision after the first ballot caused the party to institute rules imposing time limit and irrevocable written notice requirement for withdrawal in future conventions. Those rules impacted the second ballot of the
2013 convention, where
Harinder Takhar
Harinder Jeet Singh Takhar (born ) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Ontario Liberal Party, Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2003 to 2018 who represented the ridings of Mississauga Centre (provincial e ...
endorsed
Sandra Pupatello after the first ballot, but missed the withdrawal deadline and remained on the second ballot.
McGuinty lost the
1999 election, but successful fought back a leadership review later in 1999 with 80% support and remained leader. He won in
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
and served as
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
for almost ten years until 2013. Cordiano, Duncan, Kennedy and Gerretsen all served as senior cabinet ministers in the government of McGuinty.
Kennedy left the government and unsuccessfully sought the
federal party leadership in 2006, but was instrumental sealing the victory for
Stephane Dion Stephane may refer to:
* Stéphane
Stéphane is a male French given name an equivalent of Stephen/Steven. Notable people with this given name include:
* Stéphane Adam (born 1969), French footballer
*Stéphane Agbre Dasse (born 1989), Burkinabé f ...
, another victor who started from fourth place. Kennedy again contested the
province party leadership in 2013, coming in third and throwing his support to the eventual winner
Kathleen Wynne
Kathleen O'Day Wynne ( ; born May 21, 1953) is a Canadian former politician who served as the 25th premier of Ontario and leader of the Ontario Liberal Party from 2013 to 2018. She was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2003 and sat as the ...
over frontrunner
Sandra Pupatello (who served as Duncan's campaign chair in 1996). In that contest, Gerretsen was the most senior caucus supporter of Wynne, and served as Wynne's
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
during the first 16 months of her government.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ontario Liberal Party Leadership Convention, 1996
1996 elections in Canada
1996 in Ontario
#1996
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
Ontario Liberal Party leadership election