The 2009 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election was prompted by

Stéphane Dion Stéphane Maurice Dion (born 28 September 1955) is a Canadian diplomat, academic and former politician who has been the Canadian ambassador to France and Monaco since 2022 and special envoy to the European Union since 2017. Dion was Leader of ...

's announcement that he would not lead the Liberal Party of Canada into another election, following his party's defeat in the 2008 federal election in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The Liberals, who captured just slightly over 26% of the total votes, scored their lowest percentage in the party's history to that date. The party's national executive met on November 8, 2008, to set rules for the contest, and chose a date and location for the convention. A biennial and leadership convention was held in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

from April 30 to May 3, 2009, with the new leader being chosen on May 2. Delegates to the convention were chosen from March 6–10, 2009, by those Liberal Party members who joined on or before February 6, 2009. As a result of the 2008 Canadian parliamentary crisis, culminating in

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Stephen Harper's successful appeal on December 4, 2008, to

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...

Michaëlle Jean Michaëlle Jean (; born September 6, 1957) is a Canadian stateswoman and former journalist who served from 2005 to 2010 as governor general of Canada, the 27th since Canadian Confederation. She is the first Haitian Canadian and black person ...

prorogue Prorogation in the Westminster system of government is the action of proroguing, or interrupting, a parliament, or the discontinuance of meetings for a given period of time, without a dissolution of parliament. The term is also used for the period ...

Parliament until January 26, 2009, there were calls by a number of prominent Liberals, including

Michael Ignatieff Michael Grant Ignatieff (; born May 12, 1947) is a Canadian author, academic and former politician who served as the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011. Known for his work as a histo ...

and Bob Rae, for the leadership election process to be accelerated, so that there would be an interim leader in place by the time that Parliament resumed. Former Deputy Prime Minister and former Finance Minister

John Manley John Paul Manley (born January 5, 1950) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the eighth deputy prime minister of Canada from 2002 to 2003. He served as Liberal Member of Parliament for Ottawa South from 1988 to ...

, writing in ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' on December 6, 2008, called for Dion to resign immediately. Dion issued a statement on December 8 agreeing to move up his resignation. Rae and Ignatieff disagreed on how to accelerate the process, with Ignatieff favouring a vote by caucus on December 10, 2008, to select an interim leader who would then be confirmed as permanent leader in May 2009, and Rae calling for a

One Member One Vote In the parliamentary politics of the United Kingdom and Canada, one member, one vote (OMOV) is a method of selecting party leaders, and determining party policy, by a direct vote of the members of a political party. Traditionally, these objectives ...

method involving the entire Liberal Party membership, to be conducted in January 2009. On December 8, 2008,

Dominic LeBlanc Dominic A. LeBlanc (born December 14, 1967) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who has served as the minister of intergovernmental affairs since 2020 and also became the minister of infrastructure and communities in 2021. A member of the Lib ...

withdrew from the race and threw his support to Michael Ignatieff. That evening the party executive agreed to a compromise proposal that would widen the leadership consultation process to include riding association presidents, defeated election candidates and others but rejected Rae's OMOV proposal. On December 9, 2008, Bob Rae withdrew from the race, leaving Michael Ignatieff as the presumed victor. As well as ratifying Ignatieff's leadership with the support of 97% of delegates, the convention approved an amendment to the party's constitution to institute a

system for the election of future leaders. A proposal to adopt a weighted system where 25% of the vote in leadership elections would be reserved for members of the party's youth wing was defeated. Just exactly two years later, on May 2, 2011, Ignatieff and the Liberals suffered their worst defeat in history, winning only 34 seats and being reduced to third place in the election.

Timeline

*October 14, 2008 - Federal election returns a Conservative minority government and a diminished Liberal caucus. *October 15, 2008 - Joe Volpe calls for Stéphane Dion to resign as leader. *October 20, 2008 - Liberal leader Stéphane Dion announces his intention to resign as party leader as of the Liberal leadership convention scheduled for May 2009. *October 27, 2008 - Frank McKenna announces he will not be a candidate; LeBlanc declares his intention to run. *October 31, 2008 - Rae announces his candidacy. *November 4, 2008 - John Manley announces he will not run. *November 8–9, 2008 - Liberal Party executive meets to decide on the date, location, and rules governing the race. *November 11, 2008 - Martha Hall Findlay announces she will not run. *November 12, 2008 - Gerard Kennedy and David McGuinty announce they will not run. *November 13, 2008 - Ignatieff announces he will run. *November 16, 2008 - The Liberal Party of Canada (Ontario) holds an all-candidates meeting. Rae boycotts when Ignatieff refused to allow the media to attend. *November 20, 2008 - Rae officially launches his campaign. *November 27, 2008 - The government tables a fiscal statement that angers the Opposition. *November 28, 2008 - The Liberals table a motion of non-confidence in the government which states that there is an alternative government prepared to take power. Prime Minister Harper delays the motion from December 1 to December 8. *December 1, 2008 - The Liberal Party, New Democratic Party and Bloc Québécois announce an agreement to defeat the government and replace it with a Liberal-NDP coalition. *December 4, 2008 - On the advice of the Prime Minister, the Governor General prorogues parliament until January 26, 2009. *December 6, 2008 - Former Deputy Prime Minister John Manley calls for Dion's immediate resignation. *December 7, 2008 - Liberal caucus executive meets and decides to recommend an accelerated two-stage leadership selection process. *December 8, 2008 - Stéphane Dion issues a statement announcing his resignation effective as soon as the party chooses an interim leader. Dominic LeBlanc drops out of the race and throws his support to Michael Ignatieff. Ignatieff announces that he will be a candidate for interim leader at the December 10 caucus meeting. 2006 Liberal leadership contender

Gerard Kennedy Gerard Michael Kennedy (born July 24, 1960) is a Canadian politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as Ontario's minister of Education from 2003 to 2006, when he resigned to make an unsuccessful bid for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Ca ...

endorses Bob Rae. *December 8, 2008 - Liberal Party national executive meets to decide upon an expedited process for choosing an interim leader. They agree to a process that will choose an interim leader by December 17 and involve the caucus, riding association presidents, club and party commission presidents and defeated candidates. *December 9, 2008 - Bob Rae withdraws from race, leaving Michael Ignatieff as the presumptive winner by default. *December 10, 2008 - Michael Ignatieff is acclaimed interim Liberal leader by the party executive and caucus in consultation with riding presidents, defeated candidates and club presidents. *February 6, 2009 - Deadline for new Liberal Party members to join the party if they wish to vote or run for convention delegate spots. *March 6–10, 2009 - "Super delegate" weekend in which ridings elect convention delegates. *April 30 – May 2, 2009 - Convention. *(all times

Pacific Daylight Time The Pacific Time Zone (PT) is a time zone encompassing parts of western Canada, the western United States, and western Mexico. Places in this zone observe standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC−08:00 ...

) **April 30 ***Council of Presidents Meeting **May 1 ***8 am - Biennial Meetings of the Commissions ***11:30 am - 5 pm Policy Think Tanks and Election readiness workshops ***4 pm - Advance voting ***5 pm - Formal opening of convention ***5:20 pm - Speeches by candidates for party positions ***7 pm - Tribute to

**May 2 ***9 am - 11 am - Voting ***10:30 am – 2:30 pm - Amendments to party constitution debated ***2:30 pm - 4 pm - Voting result announced, Ignatieff addresses convention.

Declared candidates

The following candidates declared their intention to run for the leadership:

Michael Ignatieff Michael Grant Ignatieff (; born May 12, 1947) is a Canadian author, academic and former politician who served as the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011. Known for his work as a histo ...

Victoria, BC Liberal Town Hall Forum public libéral

Ignatieff, 62, was the Member of Parliament for

Etobicoke—Lakeshore Etobicoke—Lakeshore (formerly known as Lakeshore and Toronto—Lakeshore) is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1968. It covers the southern part of the Eto ...

since 2006; former leadership front-runner in 2006 before being defeated by

on the final ballot; Deputy Liberal Leader since 2006. :Date campaign launched: November 13, 2008 :Campaign website:''
michaelignatieff.ca
;Supporters :MPs: (46) Scott Andrews,

Avalon Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...

;

Larry Bagnell Lawrence Bagnell (born December 19, 1949) is a former Canadian politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Yukon from 2000 to 2011 and again from 2015 to 2021. He served as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. ...

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

;

Navdeep Bains Navdeep Singh Bains (born June 16, 1977) is a Canadian politician who served as Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry from 2015 to 2021. A member of the Liberal Party, he represented the riding of Mississauga—Malton in the House of Co ...

, Mississauga—Brampton South; Mauril Belanger, Ottawa—Vanier; Maurizio Bevilacqua,

Vaughan Vaughan () (2021 population 323,103) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increas ...

; Gerry Byrne, Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte; John Cannis, Scarborough Centre;

Siobhan Coady Siobhán is a female given name of Irish origin. The most common anglicisations are Siobhan (identical to the Irish spelling but omitting the acute accent over the 'a'), Shevaun and Shivaun. A now uncommon spelling variant is Siubhán. It is de ...

, St. John's South—Mount Pearl;

Denis Coderre Denis Coderre (born July 25, 1963) is a Canadian politician from Quebec. Coderre was the member of Parliament for the riding of Bourassa from 1997 until 2013, and was the Immigration minister from 2002 to 2003 and became the mayor of Mont ...

, Bourassa;

Bonnie Crombie Bonnie Crombie ( Stack, born February 5, 1960) is a Canadian politician who has served as the 6th and current Mayor of Mississauga, Ontario since December 1, 2014. From 2008 to 2011, she was a Liberal Member of Parliament for the riding of Mis ...

Mississauga—Streetsville Mississauga—Streetsville is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. This riding is centred on the villages of Streetsville and Meadowvale. Mississauga—Stre ...

;

Jean-Claude D'Amours Jean-Claude "J.C." D'Amours (born December 19, 1972) is a Canadian politician and who represents Edmundston-Madawaska Centre in the New Brunswick legislature. He is a former Member of Parliament for Madawaska—Restigouche. Born in Edmundston, ...

Madawaska—Restigouche Madawaska—Restigouche is a federal electoral district in New Brunswick, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1997. Its population in 2001 was 65,877. Political geography The district includes all of the ...

;

Sukh Dhaliwal Sukhminder "Sukh" Singh Dhaliwal (born October 1, 1960) is a Canadian businessman and politician, who has served as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Surrey—Newton since 2015. He was previously the Member of Parliament for Newton—North De ...

, Newton—North Delta;

Kirsty Duncan Kirsty Ellen Duncan (born October 31, 1966) is a Canadian politician and medical geographer from Ontario, Canada. Duncan is the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Toronto riding of Etobicoke North and Duncan serves as deputy leader of the govern ...

Etobicoke North Etobicoke North (french: Etobicoke-Nord) is a federal electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented by one Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada since 1979. It covers the neighbourhood of Rexdale, ...

;

Wayne Easter Wayne Easter (born June 22, 1949) is a former Canadian politician who represented the riding of Malpeque, Prince Edward Island from 1993 to 2021. Before politics Born in North Wiltshire, Prince Edward Island, the son of A. Leith Easter and H ...

, Malpeque;

Raymonde Folco Raymonde Folco is a Canadian politician, member of the Liberal Party of Canada. She represented the Quebec riding of Laval—Les Îles in the House of Commons of Canada through 5 successive parliaments from 1997 to 2011, when she left politi ...

Laval—Les Îles Laval—Les Îles is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. Its population in 2001 was 100,137. Of the population, 15.9% are Christian Orthodox, and 14.0% are of ...

;

Judy Foote Judy May Foote ( Crowley; born June 23, 1952) is a Canadian former politician, 14th and current lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. She is the first woman to hold the position. Prior to her appointment as viceregal representative ...

, Random—Burin—St. George's;

Marc Garneau Joseph Jean-Pierre Marc Garneau (born February 23, 1949) is a Canadian politician, retired Royal Canadian Navy officer and former astronaut who served as a Cabinet minister from 2015 to 2021. A member of the Liberal Party, Garneau was the mini ...

Westmount—Ville-Marie Westmount—Ville-Marie was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2015. Its population in 2001 was 97,226. Geography The district included the City of Westmount as w ...

;

Albina Guarnieri Albina Guarnieri (born June 23, 1953) is a former Canadian politician. She was a Liberal member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 2011 who represented the Greater Toronto Area ridings of Mississauga East and Mississauga East—Co ...

Mississauga East—Cooksville Mississauga East—Cooksville (french: Mississauga-Est—Cooksville) is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. History It was created in 2003 from parts of ...

; Mark Holland,

Ajax—Pickering Ajax—Pickering was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that had been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2011 by Conservative MP Chris Alexander. Its population in 2001 was 100,215. The district included the Town ...

; Andrew Kania,

Brampton West Brampton West (french: Brampton-Ouest) is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. Its population was 170,422 in 2006- making it the most populous riding in C ...

;

Jim Karygiannis James Karygiannis ( ; el, Δημήτρης Καρύγιαννης, Dimítris Karýgiannis, ; born May 2, 1955) is a Canadian former politician. He formerly served in the House of Commons of Canada as a Liberal MP from 1988 to 2014, and as memb ...

Scarborough—Agincourt Scarborough—Agincourt is a federal electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1988. It covers the area of the City of Toronto bounded by Steeles Avenue East to the nort ...

;

, Beauséjour; Derek Lee,

Scarborough—Rouge River Scarborough—Rouge River was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada between 1988 and 2015. However, as of the Fall 2015 federal election, part of this riding has been com ...

; Gurbax Malhi,

Bramalea—Gore—Malton Bramalea—Gore—Malton (formerly known as Brampton—Malton and Bramalea—Gore—Malton—Springdale) was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada. In 2015, it was dissolved into ...

; Keith Martin,

Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca is a former federal electoral district in the province of British Columbia, Canada, which was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 2015 Demographics Geography It initially consisted of: * the Esqu ...

;

John McCallum John McCallum (born 9 April 1950) is a Canadian politician, economist, diplomat and former university professor. A former Liberal Member of Parliament ( MP), McCallum was the Canadian Ambassador to China from 2017 to 2019. He was asked for ...

Markham—Unionville Markham—Unionville is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. Boundaries Markham—Unionville is located in the City of Markham within an area bordered by a ...

; David McGuinty,

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 ...

; John McKay,

Scarborough—Guildwood Scarborough—Guildwood is a federal electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. It was created in 2003 from parts of Scarborough East, Scarborough Southwest and S ...

;

Dan McTeague Daniel P. McTeague, (born October 16, 1962) is a Canadian businessman and former politician. McTeague served for eighteen years as Member of Parliament for the Ontario riding of Pickering—Scarborough East. Background Fluently bilingual, McTe ...

Pickering—Scarborough East Pickering—Scarborough East was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that had been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to 2015. The district was created in 2003 from 44.1% of Pickering—Ajax—Uxbridge, 39.7% ...

; Maria Minna,

Beaches—East York Beaches—East York (formerly Beaches—Woodbine) is a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1988. This riding is situated east of ...

;

Rob Oliphant Robert Oliphant (born June 7, 1956) is a Canadian politician and a United Church minister. He served in the House of Commons as a Liberal Member of Parliament for the Toronto riding of Don Valley West from 2008 to 2011. He returned to office aft ...

Don Valley West Don Valley West (french: Don Valley-Ouest) is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1979. Its population in 2001 was 115,539. 13.6% of the population is Muslim, the ...

; Glen Pearson,

London North Centre London North Centre (french: London-Centre-Nord; formerly known as London—Adelaide) is a federal electoral district in the city of London in the province of Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 19 ...

;

Yasmin Ratansi Yasmin Ratansi (born January 4, 1951) is a Canadian politician who represented the Toronto area riding of Don Valley East in the House of Commons from 2004 to 2011 and again from 2015 to 2021. She was elected as a Liberal in the 2004 federal el ...

Don Valley East Don Valley East (french: Don Valley-Est) is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada that covers the northeast section of the North York part of Toronto. The federal riding was created in 1976 from parts of Willowdale, York East, ...

;

Geoff Regan Geoffrey Paul Regan (born 22 November 1959) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 36th Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for ...

Halifax West Halifax West (french: Halifax-Ouest) is a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1979. Its population in 2021 was 111,944. Demographics ''From the 2016 census'' E ...

; Pablo Rodriguez, Honoré-Mercier;

Todd Russell Todd Norman Dwayne Russell (born December 22, 1966) is a Canadian politician and was the Liberal member of Parliament for the riding of Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador from 2005 to 2011. Early life Russell was born in St. Anthony, Newfou ...

Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...

;

Francis Scarpaleggia Francis Scarpaleggia (born June 6, 1957 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian politician. He is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada and Member of Parliament for the riding of Lac-Saint-Louis, which encompasses the west of the island of Montr ...

Lac-Saint-Louis Lac-Saint-Louis is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1997. Its population was 108,579 at the 2016 Canadian Census. Geography The district includes the Cities of ...

; Mario Silva, Davenport; Scott Simms,

Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor (formerly Bonavista—Exploits) was a federal electoral district in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 until 2015. 81.0% of its population ...

; Michelle Simson,

Scarborough Southwest Scarborough Southwest is a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1968. Geography It covers the southwestern part of the Scarboro ...

;

Judy Sgro Judy A. Sgro (born December 16, 1944) is a Canadian politician. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, she currently represents the electoral district of Humber River—Black Creek in the House of Commons of Canada. Sgro currently serves a ...

York West York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

; Paul Szabo, Mississauga South;

Alan Tonks Alan Tonks (born April 2, 1943) is a former Canadian politician. He was the Liberal MP for the federal riding of York South—Weston in Toronto from 2000 to 2011, and was the final Metro Toronto Chairman before the amalgamation of Metro Toront ...

, York South—Weston;

Frank Valeriote Frank Valeriote (born August 15, 1954) is a Canadians, Canadian politician. He was elected as the Liberal Party of Canada, Liberal Member of Parliament (Canada), Member of Parliament in 2008 by a small margin over the Conservative candidate Gl ...

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...

;

Bryon Wilfert Bryon J. Wilfert (born July 14, 1952) is a former Canadian politician. He was a Liberal member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2011 who represented the GTA riding of Richmond Hill until his defeat during the 2011 federal ele ...

, Richmond Hill; Lise Zarac,

LaSalle—Émard LaSalle—Émard was a federal electoral district in the Canadian province of Quebec that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 2015. Its population in 2001 was 99,767. The MP from 1988 to 2008 was Paul Martin, who s ...

:Past MPs: (1)

Omar Alghabra Omar Alghabra ( ar, عمر الغبرا, ʿUmar al-Ḡabrā; born October 24, 1969) is a Saudi-born Syrian-Canadian politician who has served as Canada's Minister of Transport since January 2021. A member of the Liberal Party, he has represent ...

, Mississauga—Erindale :Provincial politicians: (1)

Dwight Duncan Dwight Duncan (born 3 January 1959) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2013 who represented ridings of Windsor—Walkerville, Windsor—St. Clair and Windso ...

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

and MPP for Windsor—Tecumseh :Senators: (2)

Larry Campbell Larry W. Campbell (born 28 February 1948) is a Canadian politician that served as the 37th mayor of Vancouver, Canada from 2002 until 2005 and since 2005 has been a member of the Senate of Canada. Before he was mayor, Campbell worked for th ...

, David Smith :Other prominent individuals: (10) Liberal organizers Steven MacKinnon, Michael Eizenga,

Mark Marissen Mark Allan Marissen (born 1966 in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian political strategist and principal of Burrard Strategy Inc., a communications company he founded in 1998. Marissen is also a senior advisor to McMillan Vantage Policy G ...

Warren Kinsella Warren James Kinsella (born August 1960) is a Canadian lawyer, author, musician, political consultant, and commentator. Kinsella has written commentary in most of Canada's major newspapers and several magazines, including ''The Globe and Mail ...

, and Don Guy; party executives Marc-André Blanchard, Brigitte Legault, and Ryan Ward; past candidates Tyler Banham and

Penny Collenette Penny Collenette (born May 20, 1950, in Oakville, Ontario) is a Canadian lawyer, professor and political figure of the Liberal Party of Canada. The wife of former Liberal Member of Parliament and cabinet minister David Collenette, she sought, an ...

Withdrawn candidates

Dominic LeBlanc Dominic A. LeBlanc (born December 14, 1967) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who has served as the minister of intergovernmental affairs since 2020 and also became the minister of infrastructure and communities in 2021. A member of the Lib ...

LeBlanc, 41, was the Member of Parliament for Beauséjour since 2000, fluently bilingual Acadian with deep roots in the party. His father, Roméo, was press secretary to Pierre Trudeau, later an MP and cabinet minister, and eventually became

. On October 27, LeBlanc became the first candidate to declare his candidacy for the Liberal Party leadership. On December 8, 2008, LeBlanc withdrew from the leadership race and endorsed Michael Ignatieff. :Date campaign launched: October 27, 2008 :Date campaign ended: December 8, 2008 ;Supporters :Senators: (1)

Percy Downe Percy E. Downe (born July 8, 1954) is a Canadian Senator and former political aide. Since graduating from the University of Prince Edward Island in 1977, Downe has had the opportunity to serve at the provincial and federal levels of Canadian Gov ...

:Provincial politicians: (4) Victor Boudreau NB

and MLA for Shediac-Cap-Pelé;

Greg Byrne Greg Byrne, K.C. (born April 14, 1960, in Harvey, New Brunswick) is a lawyer and former MLA in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Byrne was educated at Fredericton High School, Saint Thomas University (where he received a Bachelor of Ar ...

NB Minister of Business New Brunswick and MLA for

Fredericton-Lincoln Fredericton-Lincoln was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, Canada. It was first created in the 2006 redrawing of electoral districts and was first used in the general election later that year. Its ...

;

Shawn Graham Shawn Michael Graham (born February 22, 1968) is a Canadian politician, who served as the 31st premier of New Brunswick from 2006 to 2010. He was elected leader of the New Brunswick Liberal Party in 2002 and became premier after his party captur ...

NB Premier and MLA for

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

;

Doug Tyler Doug Tyler is a political figure in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Tyler was a member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from the 1987 election until his defeat in the 1999 election. He served in the cabinet from 1991 to 19 ...

NB former Deputy Premier and former MLA for Grand Lake :Other prominent individuals: (5) party advisers and organizers Scott Reid,

Tim Murphy Timothy Murphy may refer to: Politics * Tim Murphy (American politician) (born 1952), American Republican Party politician from Pennsylvania * Tim Murphy (Canadian politician) (born 1959), Canadian politician * Timothy J. Murphy (1893–1949), I ...

, Steven Hogue, Mark Watton, and Janice Nicholson

Bob Rae

Rae, 60, had been the Member of Parliament for

Toronto Centre Toronto Centre (french: Toronto-Centre) is a federal electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1872 to 1925, and since 1935, under the names Centre Toronto (1872–1903) ...

since 2008; former

Ontario New Democratic Party The Ontario New Democratic Party (french: link=no, Nouveau Parti démocratique de l'Ontario; abbr. ONDP or NDP) is a social-democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. The party currently forms the Official Opposition in Ontario following th ...

Premier of Ontario (1990-1995), NDP MP for Broadview-Greenwood (1979–1982); former federal Liberal leadership contender placing third in 2003. Rae had been under increasing pressure to bow out of the leadership contest. On December 9, 2008, Bob Rae officially withdrew from the race, leaving Michael Ignatieff the winner by default. :Date campaign launched: October 31, 2008 :Date campaign ended: December 9, 2008 ;Supporters :MPs: (10)

Hedy Fry Hedy Madeleine Fry, (born August 6, 1941) is a Trinidadian-Canadian politician and physician who is currently the longest-serving female Member of Parliament, winning nine consecutive elections in the constituency of Vancouver Centre includin ...

Vancouver Centre Vancouver Centre (french: Vancouver-Centre) is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1917. It is the riding with the biggest Japanese community in Canada. As ...

;

Lawrence MacAulay Lawrence A. MacAulay (born September 9, 1946) is a Canadian politician, who has represented the riding of Cardigan, Prince Edward Island in the House of Commons since 1988. On June 11, 1997, he joined the cabinet of Prime Minister Jean Chré ...

, Cardigan; Shawn Murphy, Charlottetown;

Michael Savage Michael Alan Weiner (born March 31, 1942), known by his professional name Michael Savage, is a far-right author, conspiracy theorist, political commentator, activist, and former radio host. Savage is best known as the host of '' The Savage Na ...

Dartmouth—Cole Harbour Dartmouth—Cole Harbour (formerly Dartmouth and Dartmouth—Halifax East) is a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. Demographics ''From the 2021 census '' ...

; Alexandra Mendes,

Brossard—La Prairie Brossard—La Prairie was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2015. As of 2011, its population is 128,001. Geography The riding was located in the South Shore are ...

;

Parkdale—High Park Parkdale—High Park is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1979. It was created during the 1976 electoral boundaries redistribution from parts of Parkdale, Hig ...

;

Anita Neville Anita Ruth Neville (born July 22, 1942) is a Canadian politician, who has served as the 26th lieutenant governor of Manitoba since 2022. She was elected to the House of Commons of Canada as a Liberal in the general election of 2000. She was ...

Winnipeg South Centre Winnipeg South Centre (french: Winnipeg-Centre-Sud) is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1925 to 1979 and since 1988. Geography The district includes the neighbou ...

;

Irwin Cotler Irwin Cotler, PC, OC, OQ (born May 8, 1940) is a retired Canadian politician who was Member of Parliament for Mount Royal from 1999 to 2015. He served as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada from 2003 until the Liberal gov ...

Mount Royal Mount Royal (french: link=no, Mont Royal, ) is a large intrusive rock hill or small mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The best-known hypothesis for the origin of the name Montreal is the ...

;

Joe Volpe Giuseppe "Joe" Volpe (born September 21, 1947) is a Canadian politician. He represented the Ontario riding of Eglinton-Lawrence as a member of the Liberal Party in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 until 2011, when he lost his seat t ...

Eglinton—Lawrence Eglinton—Lawrence is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1979. It covers a portion of Toronto northwest of downtown. It stretches from Yonge Street in the east ...

; Carolyn Bennett, St. Paul's :Past MPs: (6)

Reg Alcock Reginald B. Alcock, (April 16, 1948 – October 14, 2011) was a Canadian politician. He represented the riding of Winnipeg South in the House of Commons of Canada from 1993 to 2006 and was a cabinet minister in the government of Prime Minister ...

Winnipeg South Winnipeg South (french: Winnipeg-Sud) is a Canadian federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1917 to 1979, and since 1988. It covers the southernmost part of the city of Wi ...

;

Chris Axworthy Christopher S. Axworthy, (born March 10, 1947, Plymouth, United Kingdom)Roberts, David. Why Chris Axworthy feels at home. The Globe and Mail. October 30, 1999. p. A22 is a Canadian politician and academic. Law Professor After teaching law at t ...

, Saskatoon—Clark's Crossing;

Lloyd Axworthy Lloyd Norman Axworthy (born December 21, 1939) is a Canadian politician, elder statesman and academic. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Following his retirement from parliament ...

, Winnipeg North Centre;

Raymond Chan Raymond Chan (; born 1951) is the first Chinese Canadian to be appointed to the Cabinet of Canada. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, Chan was elected to Parliament in the 1993 federal election, defeating then Defence Minister To ...

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

; Diane Marleau, Sudbury; Anne McLellan,

Edmonton Centre Edmonton Centre (french: Edmonton-Centre) is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and since 2004. Geography The riding is anchored in the heart of Down ...

:Senators: (15)

Sharon Carstairs Sharon Carstairs (born April 26, 1942) is a Canadian politician and former Senator. Early life Carstairs was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the daughter of former Nova Scotia Premier and federal Senator Harold Connolly and his wife Vivian. She ...

Mobina Jaffer Mobina S. B. Jaffer (born August 20, 1949) is a Canadian Senator representing British Columbia. Early life and career Born to a Pakistani family living in Africa, Jaffer was educated in England and Canada. She earned a law degree from the Unive ...

, Gerard Phalen,

Joan Cook Joan Cook (born October 6, 1934) was a Canadian Senator for Newfoundland and Labrador. Biography Cook was born in English Harbour West, Dominion of Newfoundland. In her working life, Cook was, variously, a businesswoman who served as vice-pre ...

, William Rompkey, Peter Stollery,

Mac Harb Mac Harb (born November 10, 1953) is a Canadian former politician, who served successively in local Ottawa positions, as a Member of the House of Commons, and as a Senator for Ontario.J. Patrick Boyer. ''Our Scandalous Senate'' Volume 1 of Poin ...

Lorna Milne Lorna Ann Milne (December 13, 1934 – March 1, 2023) was Canadian politician who served as a senator from 1995 to 2009. Early life and career Milne was the daughter of former Mayor of Toronto and Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) ...

, Pierre De Bane,

Serge Joyal Serge Joyal (born February 1, 1945) is a Canadian politician who served in the House of Commons of Canada from 1974 to 1984 and subsequently in the Senate of Canada from 1997 to 2020. Career A lawyer by profession, Joyal served as vice-presid ...

, Michel Biron,

Yoine Goldstein Yoine J. Goldstein (May 11, 1934 – March 18, 2020) was a Canadian lawyer, academic, and former Senator. Born in Montreal, Quebec, his education includes a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University in 1955, a Bachelor of Civil Law (with honours) ...

, Robert Peterson,

Pierrette Ringuette Pierrette Ringuette (born December 31, 1955), also formerly known as Pierrette Ringuette-Maltais, is a Canadian Senator. Ringuette, a businesswoman and professor, was the first francophone woman to be elected to the Legislative Assembly of New B ...

Raymond Setlakwe Raymond C. Setlakwe, (3 July 1928 – 14 October 2021) was a Canadian entrepreneur, lawyer and Senate of Canada, senator. Biography Born in Thetford Mines, Quebec, of Armenian descent, Setlakwe graduated from Bishop's College School and receive ...

:Past Senators: (1) Jack Austin :Provincial politicians: (4) Gulzar Singh Cheema MB former MLA for Kildonan and BC former Minister of State for Immigration and Multicultural Services and former MLA for

Surrey-Panorama Ridge Surrey-Panorama Ridge was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada from 2001 to 2009. Demographics Geography 1999 Redistribution Surrey-Panorama Ridge was created from *the southern half of ...

;

Kevin Lamoureux Kevin Lamoureux (born January 22, 1962) is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. On November 29, 2010, he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada for the constituency of Winnipeg North in a by-election. He was re-elected during the 2011 el ...

MB MLA for Inkster;

George Smitherman George Smitherman (born February 12, 1964) is a former Canadian politician and broadcaster. He represented the provincial riding of Toronto Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2010, when he resigned to contest the mayor ...

Deputy Premier A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...

, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, and MPP for

;

Greg Sorbara Gregory Samuel Sorbara (born September 4, 1946) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 to 1995, and again from 2001 to 2012 who represented ridings north of Toronto in ...

ON former

and MPP for

; :Other prominent individuals: (12) Jonathan Goldbloom, Montreal communications consultant; Karl Littler, former senior Paul Martin strategist; John Duffy, Martin strategist, political author, and consultant;

Power Corporation Power Corporation of Canada () is a management and holding company that focuses on financial services in North America, Europe and Asia. Its core holdings are insurance, retirement, wealth management and investment management, including a portfol ...

executive and former Chrétien advisor

John A. Rae John A. Rae C.M. (born 1945) is a Canadian businessman, political organizer, and political adviser. He joined the large Canadian firm Power Corporation, and served on its board from 1988 to 2016. He served in many roles with the Liberal Party of C ...

; former Young Liberals of Canada President Richard Diamond, Nick Taylor, Colin MacDonald, Roy Bluehorn, Monica Lysak, Walter Noel, Ronald St.-Onge Lynch, Jake Gray.

Potential candidates who did not run

: Member of Parliament for Mississauga—Brampton South; when Bains was elected for the first time in 2004 he was the youngest Liberal MP in Parliament. Reported to be backing Ignatieff. *

Scott Brison Scott A. Brison (born May 10, 1967) is a Canadian former politician from Nova Scotia. Brison served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Kings-Hants from the 1997 federal election until July 2000, then from November 2000 to Febru ...

: Member of Parliament for Kings-Hants. First elected as a Progressive Conservative in 1997. Crossed the floor to the Liberals in 2003 and served as Minister of Public Works from 2004 to 2006. Former Liberal leadership contender. *

Martin Cauchon Martin Cauchon, (born August 23, 1962) is a Canadian lawyer and politician in Quebec Canada. He is a former Liberal Cabinet Minister in the government of Jean Chrétien. He is married to Dorine Perron and together, they have three children : ...

: Former Member of Parliament (1993-2004). Former Minister of Justice. "While my heart says yes, the realities of fundraising and organization are too daunting at this time." *

: Member of Parliament for Bourassa since 1997, federal cabinet minister from 2002 to 2006. «Je ne serai pas candidat à la prochaine course au leadership. J'ai le goût d'être chef du parti et je pense avoir les capacités pour être chef du parti, mais, comme dit la chanson, "I have the right love at the wrong moment".» *

Ruby Dhalla Ruby Dhalla (born February 18, 1974) is a Canadian chiropractor and former politician. She served as the Member of Parliament for Brampton—Springdale in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to 2011 as a member of the Liberal Party. Dhall ...

: Member of Parliament for Brampton—Springdale since 2004. On November 18, she was reported saying "I am currently consulting with supporters and senior Liberals from coast to coast as to what the future holds. I will be making my decision public in the near future." A month later, the ''Brampton Guardian'' reported she will not be a candidate and quoted her saying "Taking a lot of factors into consideration, I realized this wasn't the right time for myself." *

Ujjal Dosanjh Ujjal Dev Dosanjh ( pa, ਉੱਜਲ ਦੇਵ ਦੁਸਾਂਝ) (), (born September 9, 1947) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as the 33rd premier of British Columbia from 2000 to 2001 and as a Liberal Party of Canada member of ...

: Member of Parliament for

Vancouver South Vancouver South (french: Vancouver-Sud) is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1917 to 1997, and since 2004. It covers the southern portion of the city of Va ...

since 2004. Federal Minister of Health from 2004 to 2006. Former NDP Premier of British Columbia. Said on November 6 on ''Mike Duffy Live'' that due to his lack of French, a bid by him would be "unrealistic." *

Ken Dryden Kenneth Wayne Dryden (born August 8, 1947) is a Canadian politician, lawyer, businessman, author, and former National Hockey League (NHL) goaltender. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was a Liber ...

: Member of Parliament for

York Centre York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a m ...

. Former federal Minister of Social Development, and former leadership contender. Former

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

goaltender whose playing career won a place for him in the Hockey Hall of Fame. *

Martha Hall Findlay Martha Hall Findlay (born August 17, 1959) is a Canadian businesswoman, entrepreneur, lawyer and politician who previously served as the president and CEO of the Canada West Foundation, a Calgary-based think tank, and is now senior vice-preside ...

: Member of Parliament for Willowdale; First elected in 2008; Former leadership contender. She said the fact that she still owes about $170,000 from the last leadership contest "played a big role" in her decision to not run this time. *

: Member of Parliament for

; first elected in 2008; former Ontario Education minister; former leadership contender. *

: Former Member of Parliament and former Deputy Prime Minister under Jean Chrétien released an announcement saying "I found that there was indeed water in the pool.... However, I truly found that in my mind and heart, I have moved on from the world of elected office. I also found that I lacked the burning ambition necessary to mount and sustain such a campaign." *

Elizabeth May Elizabeth Evans May (born June 9, 1954) is a Canadian politician, environmentalist, author, activist, and lawyer who is serving as the leader of the Green Party of Canada since 2022, and previously served as the leader from 2006 to 2019. Sh ...

: Green Party of Canada leader, in response to rumours of a Draft May movement, May said "The Green Party is my home and the Green party is where I'll stay." *

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 nea ...

, Premier of Ontario, says he'll stay out of the Liberal leadership race and won't endorse any candidate with the exception of his brother David if he ran. * David McGuinty: Member of Parliament for

, first elected in 2004. Younger brother of Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. Says he wishes to focus on his duties as an MP *

Frank McKenna Francis Joseph McKenna (born January 19, 1948) is a Canadian businessman and former politician and diplomat. He is currently Deputy Chairman of the Toronto-Dominion Bank. He served as Canadian Ambassador to the United States from 2005 to 2006 ...

: The former Premier of New Brunswick, as well as the former ambassador to the US, has said "Although I have been deeply moved by expressions of support for me from across the country, I have not been persuaded to change my long-standing resolve to exit public life for good." *

Carole Taylor Carole Taylor, (born Carol Goss on November 16, 1945) is a Canadian school chancellor, journalist and former politician. She also served as the Chancellor of Simon Fraser University from June 2011 until June 2014. She previously served as Briti ...

, former

British Columbia Liberal Party The British Columbia Liberal Party, often shortened to the BC Liberals, is a centre-right provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party currently forms the Official Opposition. Subsequent to the 2020 British Columbia genera ...

Finance Minister, said "I'm appreciative of the nice comments that have been made, but I'm not intending to run for the federal leadership." * Brian Tobin: Former Premier of Newfoundland & Labrador & federal cabinet minister said in London that he will "absolutely not," consider running for Liberal leadership. *

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...

told a national news agency "I can assure you that if there is a leadership (race) right now I will not be running for any leadership role." *

: Member of Parliament for Eglinton-Lawrence First elected in 1988. Former Ontario Cabinet Minister; former leadership contender. "I was delighted to be a candidate," Volpe said. "It did not turn out well in part because people tried to frame me into a discussion regarding me that had nothing to do with policy issues. I'm not sure I want to go through that experience again."

Results

References

{{Liberal Party of Canada 2009 2009 elections in Canada Liberal Party of Canada leadership election