The Liberal Party of Canada leadership election of 2009 was prompted by Stéphane Dion

Stéphane Dion

Stéphane Maurice Dion, PC, MP is a Canadian politician who has been the Member of Parliament for the riding of Saint-Laurent–Cartierville in Montreal since 1996. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and the Leader of the Opposition in the Canadian House of Commons from 2006 to 2008...

's announcement that he would not lead the Liberal Party of Canada

Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...

 into another election, following his party's defeat in the 2008 federal election

Canadian federal election, 2008

The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...

 in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The Liberals, who captured just slightly over 26 per cent of the total votes, scored their lowest percentage in the party's history.

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

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

, British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

 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 Prime Minister

Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

 Stephen Harper

Stephen Harper

Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...

's successful appeal on December 4, 2008, to Governor General Michaëlle Jean

Michaëlle Jean

Michaëlle Jean is a Canadian journalist and stateswoman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 27th since Canadian Confederation, from 2005 to 2010....

 to prorogue

Prorogation in Canada

Prorogation is the end of a parliamentary session in the Parliament of Canada and the parliaments of its provinces and territories. It differs from a recess or adjournment, which do not end a session, and from a complete dissolution of parliament, which ends both the session and the entire...

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

Michael Ignatieff

Michael Grant Ignatieff is a Canadian author, academic and former politician. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011...

 and Bob Rae

Bob Rae

Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....

, for the leadership election process to be accelerated, so that there would be a new permanent leader in place by the time that Parliament resumed. Former Deputy Prime Minister and former Finance Minister John Manley

John Manley

John Manley may refer to:* John Manley , English soldier, MP and Postmaster General* John Manley, Canadian politician* John Manley , British archaeologist* John H. Manley, American nuclear physicist...

, writing in The Globe and Mail

The Globe and Mail

The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...

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 method involving the entire Liberal Party membership, to be conducted in January 2009.

On December 8, 2008, Dominic LeBlanc 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 One Member One Vote 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.

Declared candidates

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

Michael Ignatieff

Michael Ignatieff

Michael Grant Ignatieff is a Canadian author, academic and former politician. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011...

Member of Parliament for Etobicoke—Lakeshore

Etobicoke—Lakeshore

Etobicoke—Lakeshore is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968....

; first elected in 2006; former leadership front-runner in 2006.

Confirmed supporters in caucus prior to withdrawal of other candidates: 48

MPs: 46: Scott Andrews

Scott Andrews (politician)

Scott Andrews is a Canadian politician. He was elected to represent the Newfoundland and Labrador electoral district of Avalon in the 2008 Canadian federal election. He is a member of the Liberal Party...

, Larry Bagnell

Larry Bagnell

Lawrence "Larry" Bagnell, PC, MP is a former Canadian politician. He served as a Member of the Canadian House of Commons from 2000 until 2011 sitting with the Liberal caucus in both government and opposition.-Politicial career:...

, Navdeep Bains

Navdeep Bains

Navdeep Singh Bains, PC is a Canadian politician from Ontario, Canada. He is the former Liberal Member of Parliament for the riding of Mississauga—Brampton South.-Early life:...

, Mauril Belanger

Mauril Bélanger

Mauril A. Bélanger, PC, MP is a Member of the Canadian Parliament. He is a member of the Liberal Party. Bélanger has been involved in advocacy for the rights of Franco-Ontarians....

, Maurizio Bevilacqua

Maurizio Bevilacqua

Maurizio Bevilacqua, PC, is a Canadian politician. He was a Liberal Member of Parliament from 1988 to 2010 and was of eleven candidates for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada but dropped out of the race on August 14, 2006...

, Gerry Byrne

Gerry Byrne

Gerry Byrne, PC, MP is a Canadian politician. He currently represents the riding of Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte for the Liberal Party of Canada. He was re-elected in the 1997, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2011 elections...

, John Cannis

John Cannis

John Cannis is a former member of the House of Commons in Canada.-Background:Born in Kalymnos, Greece, Cannis was raised and educated in Toronto, Ontario. A successful entrepreneur for 18 years, Cannis owned a Toronto-based international executive search firm and was a member in good standing of...

, Siobhan Coady, Denis Coderre

Denis Coderre

Denis Coderre, PC, MP is a Canadian politician from Quebec, Canada. Coderre is the Liberal Member of Parliament for the Montreal riding of Bourassa.-Background:...

, Bonnie Crombie

Bonnie Crombie

Bonnie Crombie is a Canadian politician. Formerly a Liberal Party Member of Parliament for the electoral district of Mississauga—Streetsville, in Ontario, she was elected to Mississauga City Council in a by-election in September 2011....

, Jean-Claude D'Amours

Jean-Claude D'Amours

Jean-Claude "J.C." D'Amours is a Canadian politician and former Member of Parliament for Madawaska—Restigouche.D'Amours served as a city councillor in Edmundston from 1998 to 2004...

, Sukh Dhaliwal

Sukh Dhaliwal

Sukh Dhaliwal, MP is a businessman and politician in British Columbia, Canada, who was the Liberal Member of Parliament for Newton—North Delta from 2006 to 2011....

, Kirsty Duncan

Kirsty Duncan

Kirsty Ellen Duncan is a Canadian politician and medical geographer from Ontario, Canada. Duncan is the Member of Parliament for the Liberal Party of Canada in the Toronto riding of Etobicoke North...

, Wayne Easter

Wayne Easter

Arnold Wayne Easter, PC, MP is a Canadian politician.-Before politics:Born in North Wiltshire, Prince Edward Island the son of A. Leith Easter and Hope MacLeod, he was educated at the Charlottetown Rural High School and the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. In 1970, he married Helen Arleighn...

, Raymonde Folco

Raymonde Folco

Raymonde Folco is a Canadian politician.Born in a Jewish family in Paris, she hid with Christian families during World War II. She emigrated to Toronto with her family in 1950s...

, Judy Foote

Judy Foote

Judy Foote is a Canadian politician from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. She represented the electoral district of Grand Bank in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly from 1996 to 2007 as a member of the Liberal Party. Foote has been the Liberal Member of Parliament for the riding of...

, Marc Garneau

Marc Garneau

Joseph Jean-Pierre Marc Garneau, CC CD FCASI MP is a Canadian retired military officer, former astronaut, engineer and politician.Garneau was the first Canadian in space taking part in three flights aboard NASA Space shuttles...

, Albina Guarnieri

Albina Guarnieri

Albina Guarnieri, PC, MP is a former politician. She was a member of Paul Martin's Liberal government and was Canada's 24th Minister of Veterans Affairs...

, Mark Holland

Mark Holland

Mark Holland is a Canadian politician. In the 2004 federal election he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a candidate of the Liberal Party in the Ontario riding of Ajax-Pickering. Holland was subsequently re-elected in the 2006 and 2008 federal elections...

, Andrew Kania

Andrew Kania

Andrew Kania was a Canadian Member of Parliament for the electoral district of Brampton West, in Ontario. Kania was elected in the 2008 Canadian federal election, winning as the Liberal Party candidate in the riding vacated by Liberal Colleen Beaumier.Kania was a member of the Standing Committee...

, Jim Karygiannis

Jim Karygiannis

James "Jim" Karygiannis, PC, MP is a Canadian Liberal politician. He has served in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988, and was the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal...

, Dominic LeBlanc

Dominic LeBlanc

Dominic A. LeBlanc, PC, MP , is a Canadian lawyer and politician from New Brunswick, Canada. He is the Member of Parliament for the riding of Beauséjour and sits in the Canadian House of Commons as the Liberal Party's Foreign Affairs Critic. He was first elected in the 2000 federal election and has...

, Derek Lee, Gurbax Malhi, Keith Martin, John McCallum

John McCallum

John McCallum, PC, MP is a Liberal Canadian politician, economist and university professor. Following the 2006 Federal Election, he became the Liberal Finance Critic in the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet...

, David McGuinty

David McGuinty

David Joseph McGuinty, MP is a Canadian lawyer politician from Ontario, Canada. He is the Member of Parliament for the riding of Ottawa South and sits in the Canadian House of Commons as the Liberal Party of Canada's Critic for Natural Resources...

, John McKay

John McKay (politician)

John Norman McKay, PC, MP is a lawyer and a Canadian politician. He is the Liberal Member of Parliament for the riding of Scarborough—Guildwood. McKay was formerly the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance while the Liberal party governed, but now serves as an opposition MP...

, Dan McTeague

Dan McTeague

Daniel P. "Dan" McTeague, PC is a former Canadian Member of Parliament for the Ontario riding of Pickering—Scarborough East.-Background:He was born to a devoutly Catholic family, one of three children...

, Maria Minna

Maria Minna

Maria Minna, PC, MP is a Canadian politician who represented the Toronto riding of Beaches—East York in the House of Commons as a member of the Liberal Party from 1993 to 2011.-Background:...

, Rob Oliphant

Rob Oliphant

Robert "Rob" Oliphant 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.- Personal life :...

, Glen Pearson

Glen Pearson

Glen Douglas Pearson is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a former Member of Parliament for London North Centre, and is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.-Life and career:...

, Yasmin Ratansi

Yasmin Ratansi

Yasmin Ratansi is a Canadian politician, who represented the riding of Don Valley East in the Canadian House of Commons. She is a member of the Liberal Party. Ratansi is an Ismaili Muslim, and was the first Muslim woman elected to the Canadian House of Commons.-Before politics:Born in Dar es...

, Geoff Regan

Geoff Regan

Geoffrey Paul Regan, PC, MP is a Canadian politician. He has the prenomial "the Honourable" and the postnomial "PC" for life by virtue of being made a privy councillor and a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada. Regan grew up in a strong political family...

, Pablo Rodriguez, Todd Russell

Todd Russell

Todd Norman Russell 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:...

, Francis Scarpaleggia

Francis Scarpaleggia

Francis Scarpaleggia, MP is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada and Member of Parliament for the riding of Lac-Saint-Louis, which encompasses the western tip of the island of Montreal, Quebec...

, Mario Silva

Mario Silva

Mario Silva, is a Canadian politician and a former Canadian Member of Parliament. Silva is a former a Toronto City Councillor and acting mayor."Acting Mayor" is a non-elected position. For example, the sets out the duties and powers of their Acting Mayor. Other cities will no doubt have somewhat...

, Scott Simms

Scott Simms

Scott Simms is a Canadian politician. He is the Liberal Member of Parliament for the Newfoundland and Labrador riding of Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor.-Early life:...

, Michelle Simson

Michelle Simson

Michelle Simson, MP is a Canadian politician, who was elected to represent the Ontario electoral district of Scarborough Southwest in the 2008 Canadian federal election...

, Judy Sgro

Judy Sgro

Judy Sgro, PC, MP is a Canadian politician. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, she currently represents the electoral district of York West in the Canadian House of Commons.-Councillor:...

, Paul Szabo

Paul Szabo

Paul John Mark Szabo is a Canadian politician. He is a former member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Mississauga South for the Liberal Party.-Early life and education:...

, Alan Tonks

Alan Tonks

Alan Tonks is a Canadian politician. He was the Liberal MP for the federal electoral district of York South—Weston in Toronto from 2000 to 2011, and was the final Metro Toronto Chairman before the amalgamation of Metro Toronto into the new City of Toronto.-Background:Tonks is the son of the late...

, Frank Valeriote

Frank Valeriote

Frank Valeriote is a Canadian politician. He is the Liberal Member of Parliament for the riding of Guelph.-Background:...

, Bryon Wilfert

Bryon Wilfert

Bryon J. Wilfert, PC was a Canadian politician. He was a member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Richmond Hill for the Liberal Party from 1997 to 2011...

, Lise Zarac

Lise Zarac

Lise Zarac is a Canadian politician, who represented the Quebec electoral district of LaSalle—Émard from 2008 until 2011. She is a member of the Liberal Party.-External links:*...

.

Senators: 2: Larry Campbell

Larry Campbell

Larry W. Campbell was the 37th Mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently a member of the Canadian Senate. Starting in 1969 Campbell worked for the RCMP in Vancouver and then in 1973 as a member of the Drug Squad...

, David Smith

Other high profile supporters: Liberal organizers Steven MacKinnon, Michael Eizenga

Michael Eizenga

Michael Eizenga is a partner with the international law firm Bennett Jones LLP in its Toronto office and a former partner at Siskinds LLP in Ontario. He has held a number of senior positions with the Liberal Party of Canada and is former President of the Advocate’s Society.- Education and...

, Mark Marissen

Mark Marissen

Mark Allan Marissen is a senior strategist for the Liberal Party of Canada. He is currently a VP of Vision Critical, a public opinion and market research firm headquartered in Vancouver and was chairman of the Burrard Group, a strategic communications and government relations firm he operated...

, Warren Kinsella

Warren Kinsella

Warren James Douglas Kinsella , is a Toronto-based Canadian, lawyer, author, musician, political consultant, commentator, and blogger...

, and Don Guy; party executives Marc-André Blanchard, Brigitte Legault, and Ryan Ward; former MPs and candidates Omar Alghabra

Omar Alghabra

Omar Alghabra is a Canadian politician, who represented the riding of Mississauga—Erindale in the Canadian House of Commons from 2006 to 2008.Alghabra graduated from Ryerson University with a degree in engineering and in 2000 received his Master of Business Administration from York University.He...

, Tyler Banham, and Penny Collenette; Dwight Duncan

Dwight Duncan

Dwight Duncan, MPP is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1995, and is the Minister of Finance in the government of Dalton McGuinty...

, Ontario Minister of Finance.

Date campaign launched: November 13, 2008

Date officially registered:

Website: michaelignatieff.ca

Result: Winner

Dominic LeBlanc

Dominic LeBlanc

Dominic A. LeBlanc, PC, MP , is a Canadian lawyer and politician from New Brunswick, Canada. He is the Member of Parliament for the riding of Beauséjour and sits in the Canadian House of Commons as the Liberal Party's Foreign Affairs Critic. He was first elected in the 2000 federal election and has...

Member of Parliament for Beauséjour

Beauséjour (electoral district)

Beauséjour riding is a federal electoral district in eastern New Brunswick, Canada, which has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988...

, first elected in 2000, fluently bilingual Acadian with deep roots in the party. His father, Roméo

Roméo LeBlanc

Roméo-Adrien LeBlanc was a Canadian journalist, politician, and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 25th since Canadian Confederation....

, was press secretary to Pierre Trudeau

Pierre Trudeau

Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...

, later an MP and cabinet minister, and eventually became Governor General

Governor General of Canada

The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...

. 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.

Confirmed supporters in caucus prior to withdrawal: 1

MPs: 0

Senators: 1 Sen. Percy Downe

Percy Downe

Percy E. Downe 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 Government. From 1986 to 1993, Downe was executive assistant to the Premier...

.

Other high profile supporters: party advisers and organizers Scott Reid

Scott Reid (political advisor)

Scott Reid was the deputy chief of staff in the Prime Minister's Office of Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, as well as one of Martin's senior and longest-serving advisors. As a key spokesman for Martin, he made frequent appearances in Canadian media speaking on behalf of the PMO and the...

, Tim Murphy, Steven Hogue, Mark Watton, and Janice Nicholson; current and former New Brunswick cabinet ministers Premier

Premier of New Brunswick

The Premier of New Brunswick is the first minister for the Canadian province of New Brunswick. They are the province's head of government and de facto chief executive....

 Shawn Graham

Shawn Graham

Shawn Michael Graham, MLA is a New Brunswick politician, who served as the 31st Premier of New Brunswick. He received a Bachelor of Physical Education Degree in 1991 and a Bachelor of Education Degree in 1993, he worked for New Brunswick's civil service before being elected to the Legislative...

, Victor Boudreau, Greg Byrne and Doug Tyler

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...

.

Bob Rae

Bob Rae

Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....

Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre

Toronto Centre

Toronto Centre is a federal electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1872 to 1925, and since 1935, under the names Centre Toronto , Toronto Centre , Rosedale and Toronto Centre—Rosedale .Toronto Centre covers the heart of...

; first elected in 2008; former NDP Premier of Ontario; former leadership contender. 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.

Confirmed supporters in caucus prior to withdrawal: 25

MPs: 10 Hedy Fry

Hedy Fry

Hedy Fry, PC, MP is a Canadian politician and physician. She is the Member of Parliament for Vancouver Centre.-Early life:Fry was born into poverty in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago...

, Lawrence MacAulay

Lawrence MacAulay

Lawrence A. MacAulay, PC is a Canadian politician.MacAulay is a current member of the Liberal Party of Canada in the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Cardigan, Prince Edward Island since 1988. MacAulay is a former farmer...

, Shawn Murphy

Shawn Murphy

Shawn Murphy, PC, MP, QC is a Canadian politician.Murphy attended the University of Prince Edward Island, and later the University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law, graduating with a law degree in 1976. He returned to Prince Edward Island and joined a local law practice, working alongside future...

, Mike Savage

Michael Savage (politician)

Michael John Savage was the Liberal Party of Canada Member of Parliament for the riding of Dartmouth—Cole Harbour. On May 2, 2011, Savage lost his bid for re-election to Parliament to Robert Chisholm of the NDP. Savage received 15,162 votes to Chisholm's 15,661.-Biography:Savage is the son of...

, Alexandra Mendes

Alexandra Mendès

Alexandra Mendès is a Canadian politician. She was elected in the 2008 election as the federal Liberal MP for the Montreal riding of Brossard—La Prairie, defeating Marcel Lussier...

, Gerard Kennedy

Gerard Kennedy

Gerard Michael Kennedy 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 Canada...

, Anita Neville

Anita Neville

Anita Neville, MP was a Canadian politician. She was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a Liberal in the general election of 2000, and was re-elected in 2004 and 2006, before being defeated in 2011.-Early life and career:...

, Irwin Cotler

Irwin Cotler

Irwin Cotler, PC, OC, MP was Canada's Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada from 2003 until the Liberal government of Paul Martin lost power following the 2006 federal election. He was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons for the constituency of Mount Royal in a by-election...

, Joe Volpe

Joe Volpe

Giuseppe Joseph "Joe" Volpe, PC, was a Canadian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 until the 2011 federal election, being surpassed by the conservative member Joe Oliver Joe Oliver, and held two senior positions in Prime Minister Paul Martin's Cabinet...

, Carolyn Bennett

Carolyn Bennett

Carolyn Ann Bennett, PC, MP is the Member of Parliament for the riding of St. Paul's, a constituency located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada, and was formerly a candidate for its leadership....

.

Senators: 15 Sharon Carstairs

Sharon Carstairs

Sharon Carstairs, PC is a Canadian politician and former Senator.-Early life:Carstairs was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the daughter of former Nova Scotia Premier Harold Connolly and his wife Vivian...

, Mobina Jaffer

Mobina Jaffer

Mobina S. B. Jaffer, QC is a Canadian Senator representing British Columbia. She is the first South Asian and the first Muslim woman appointed to the Upper House....

, Gerard Phalen

Gerard Phalen

Gerard A. "Jigger" Phalen , from Glace Bay, Nova Scotia is a former Canadian Senator, educator, and union leader.-Early life:...

, Joan Cook

Joan Cook

Joan Cook was a Canadian Senator for Newfoundland and Labrador.-Biography:In her working life, Cook was, variously, a businesswoman who served as vice-president of her family's automobile dealership, Cook and Jones Motors, an executive with CJON radio and television, and an executive with Robert...

, William Rompkey, Peter Stollery

Peter Stollery

Peter Alan Stollery is a former Canadian politician and businessman.-Background:An old Yorkville family, the Stollerys owned a famous furnishings store named Stollery’s, which opened in 1901 in downtown Toronto...

, Mac Harb

Mac Harb

Mac Harb is a Canadian Senator and former Member of the House of Commons.-Life and career:Harb was born in Chaat, Lebanon and immigrated to Canada to study at the University of Ottawa. He subsequently worked as an engineer at Northern Telecom and a professor at Algonquin College in Ottawa...

, Lorna Milne

Lorna Milne

Lorna Ann Milne was a Canadian Senator from 1995 to 2009.Milne is the daughter of former Mayor of Toronto and Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Member of Provincial Parliament William Dennison and grand-daughter of Isaac Bainbridge, early labour organizer and pacifist...

, Pierre De Bane

Pierre de Bané

Pierre de Bané, PC, QC is a Canadian Senator. He was the first person of Arab descent to be elected to the Canadian House of Commons in Matane and next Matapédia—Matane, and is a former member of the Canadian Cabinet....

, Serge Joyal

Serge Joyal

Serge Joyal, PC, OC, OQ is a Canadian Senator. A lawyer by profession, Joyal served as vice-president of the Quebec wing of the Liberal Party of Canada...

, Michel Biron

Michel Biron

Michel Biron, CM was a Canadian Senator. He was appointed by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, on the advice of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, to represent the Canadian senatorial division of Mille Isles, Quebec as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada, on October 4, 2001. Biron was appointed a...

, Yoine Goldstein

Yoine Goldstein

Yoine J. Goldstein is a Canadian Jewish 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 from McGill University in 1958, and a Doctor of Laws from the Université de Lyon in 1960. He...

, Robert Peterson, Pierrette Ringuette-Maltais

Pierrette Ringuette-Maltais

Pierrette Ringuette , 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 Brunswick...

, Raymond Setlakwe

Raymond Setlakwe

Raymond C. Setlakwe, CM is a Canadian entrepreneur, lawyer, and former senator.Born in Thetford Mines, Quebec, of Armenian descent, he received a Bachelor of Arts from Bishop's University and an L.L.L from Université Laval.He was summoned to the Senate in 2000 on the advice of Jean Chrétien and...

.

Other high profile supporters: Former federal cabinet ministers Lloyd Axworthy

Lloyd Axworthy

Lloyd Norman Axworthy, PC, OC, OM is a prominent Canadian politician, statesman and University President from Manitoba. He is best known for having served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien...

, Anne McLellan

Anne McLellan

|-...

, and Reg Alcock

Reg Alcock

Reginald B. Alcock, PC was a Canadian politician. He represented the riding of Winnipeg South in the Canadian House of Commons from 1993 to 2006 and was a cabinet minister in the government of Prime Minister Paul Martin. Alcock was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.-Early life and...

;, former MPs Diane Marleau

Diane Marleau

Diane Marleau, PC, MP is a Canadian politician. She represented the riding of Sudbury in the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 2008, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Jean Chrétien...

 and Raymond Chan

Raymond Chan

Raymond Chan, PC , 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 Tom Siddon in the riding of Richmond, British Columbia...

, retired Sen. Jack Austin

Jack Austin

Jacob "Jack" Austin, PC, OBC is a Canadian former politician and former member of the Canadian Senate. He was appointed to the upper house by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau on August 8, 1975 and represented British Columbia. At the time of his retirement he was the longest serving Senator.-Life...

; Jonathan Goldbloom, Montreal communications consultant; Karl Littler, former senior Paul Martin strategist; John Duffy

John Duffy

John Duffy is the name of:* John A. Duffy , American bishop* John Duffy , American soccer player* John Duffy and David Mulcahy , the Railway Rapists, British rapists and murderers...

, Martin strategist, political author, and consultant; Power Corporation executive and former Chrétien advisor John A. Rae; George Smitherman

George Smitherman

George Smitherman is a 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 mayoralty of Toronto in the 2010 municipal election...

, deputy premier of Ontario; Greg Sorbara

Greg Sorbara

Gregory Sam "Greg" Sorbara, MPP a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for Vaughan. Sorbara served as the Minister of Finance in the Ontario Liberal Party government of Premier Dalton McGuinty from 2003 to 2007.He resigned on October 11, 2005, following a police investigation involving...

, former Ontario finance minister., former Young Liberals of Canada President Richard Diamond, Manitoba MLA from Inkster Kevin Lamoureux

Kevin Lamoureux

Kevin Lamoureux, MP is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. On November 29, 2010, he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons for the constituency of Winnipeg North in a by-election. He was re-elected during the 2011 election by 44 votes...

, Gulzar Singh Cheema

Gulzar Singh Cheema

Gulzar Singh Cheema is an Indian-born doctor and a Canadian politician. Dr. Cheema was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1988 to 1993, and a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 2001 to 2004, making him one of only a few Canadian politicians to sit in two...

, Nick Taylor, Colin MacDonald, Chris Axworthy

Chris Axworthy

Christopher S. Axworthy is a Canadian politician.After teaching law at the University of New Brunswick and Dalhousie Law School, Chris Axworthy came to Saskatoon in 1984 as the founding Executive Director of the and as a Professor of Law at the University of Saskatchewan...

, Roy Bluehorn, Monica Lysak, Walter Noel, Ronald St.-Onge Lynch, Jake Gray.

Potential candidates who did not run

• Navdeep Bains
  Navdeep Bains
  Navdeep Singh Bains, PC is a Canadian politician from Ontario, Canada. He is the former Liberal Member of Parliament for the riding of Mississauga—Brampton South.-Early life:...
  
  : Member of Parliament for Mississauga—Brampton South
  Mississauga—Brampton South
  Mississauga—Brampton South is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004....
  
  ; when Mr. 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 Brison
  Scott A. Brison, PC, MP is a Canadian politician from Nova Scotia, Canada. Brison has been the Member of Parliament for the riding of Kings-Hants since the 1997 federal election. Brison was originally elected as a Progressive Conservative but crossed the floor to join the Liberal Party in 2003...
  
  : Member of Parliament for Kings-Hants. First elected as a Progressive Conservative
  Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
  The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
  
   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
  Martin Cauchon, PC is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He is a former Liberal Cabinet Minister.Cauchon was born in La Malbaie, Quebec and studied law at the University of Ottawa and the University of Exeter...
  
  : 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."
• Denis Coderre
  Denis Coderre
  Denis Coderre, PC, MP is a Canadian politician from Quebec, Canada. Coderre is the Liberal Member of Parliament for the Montreal riding of Bourassa.-Background:...
  
  : Member of Parliament for Bourassa
  Bourassa
  Bourassa may refer to:Electoral districts* Bourassa , federal electoral district in Quebec* Bourassa , in Quebec* Bourassa-Sauvé , in QuebecPeople...
  
   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
  Ruby Dhalla is a Canadian politician. She represented the riding of Brampton—Springdale in the Canadian House of Commons from 2004 to 2011 as a member of the Liberal Party...
  
  : Member of Parliament for Brampton—Springdale
  Brampton—Springdale
  Brampton—Springdale is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004.-History:...
  
   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 Dosanjh
  Ujjal Dev Singh Dosanjh, PC, QC, is a Sikh Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as 33rd Premier of British Columbia from 2000 to 2001 and as a Liberal Party of Canada Member of Parliament from 2004 to 2011 including a stint as Minister of Health from 2004 until 2006 when the party lost...
  
  : Member of Parliament for Vancouver South
  Vancouver South
  Vancouver South is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1997, and since 2004. It covers the southern portion of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia....
  
   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
  Ken Dryden
  Kenneth Wayne Dryden, PC, is a Canadian politician, lawyer, businessman, author, and former NHL goaltender. Dryden is married with two children and four grandchildren and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame...
  
  : Member of Parliament for York Centre
  York Centre
  York Centre is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1904 to 1917 and since 1953....
  
  . Former federal Minister of Social Development
  Minister of Social Development (Canada)
  The Minister of Social Development is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing Social Development Canada, the federal government's department concerned with the needs of seniors, children, families and people with disabilities.On February 6, 2006, Prime...
  
  , and former leadership contender. Former National Hockey League
  National Hockey League
  The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
  
   goaltender whose playing career won a place for him in the Hockey Hall of Fame
  Hockey Hall of Fame
  The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
  
  .
• Martha Hall Findlay
  Martha Hall Findlay
  Martha Hall Findlay is a Canadian lawyer, businesswoman and politician. She was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as the Liberal Party of Canada's candidate in the Toronto riding of Willowdale in a federal by-election held on March 17, 2008 to fill a vacancy created by former Liberal MP Jim...
  
  : Member of Parliament for Willowdale
  Willowdale (electoral district)
  Willowdale is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1979.The riding was created in 1976 from part of Eglinton....
  
  ; 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.
• Gerard Kennedy
  Gerard Kennedy
  Gerard Michael Kennedy 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 Canada...
  
  : Member of Parliament for Parkdale—High Park
  Parkdale—High Park
  Parkdale—High Park is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1979.Peggy Nash of the New Democratic Party was elected the Member of Parliament for the riding on May 2, 2011....
  
  ; first elected in 2008; former Ontario Education minister; former leadership contender.
• John Manley
  John Manley
  John Manley may refer to:* John Manley , English soldier, MP and Postmaster General* John Manley, Canadian politician* John Manley , British archaeologist* John H. Manley, American nuclear physicist...
  
  : Former Member of Parliament and former Deputy Prime Minister under Jean Chrétien
  Jean Chrétien
  Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
  
   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 May
  Elizabeth Evans May, OC, MP is an American-born Canadian Member of Parliament, environmentalist, writer, activist, lawyer, and the leader of the Green Party of Canada. She was the executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada from 1989 to 2006. She became a Canadian citizen in 1978.May's...
  
  : Green Party of Canada
  Green Party of Canada
  The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983 with 10,000–12,000 registered members as of October 2008. The Greens advance a broad multi-issue political platform that reflects its core values of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy and...
  
   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 McGuinty
  Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
  
  , Premier of Ontario
  Premier of Ontario
  The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The 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
  David McGuinty
  David Joseph McGuinty, MP is a Canadian lawyer politician from Ontario, Canada. He is the Member of Parliament for the riding of Ottawa South and sits in the Canadian House of Commons as the Liberal Party of Canada's Critic for Natural Resources...
  
  : Member of Parliament for Ottawa South
  Ottawa South
  Ottawa South is a federal electoral district in Ottawa in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is represented in the Canadian House of Commons by David McGuinty, brother of Ontario Premier and Ottawa South MPP Dalton McGuinty. The riding was created in 1987 from parts of Ottawa—Vanier, Ottawa...
  
  , first elected in 2004. Younger brother of Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. Says he wishes to focus on his duties as an MP
• Frank McKenna
  Frank McKenna
  Francis Joseph "Frank" McKenna, PC, OC, ONB, QC 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
  Carole Taylor, OC is a Canadian journalist and former politician.She is currently serving as the Chancellor of Simon Fraser University since June 17, 2011. She previously served as British Columbia's Minister of Finance from 2005 until 2008 in the government of Liberal premier Gordon...
  
  , former British Columbia Liberal Party
  British Columbia Liberal Party
  The British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...
  
   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
  Brian Tobin
  Brian Vincent Tobin, PC is a Canadian businessman and former politician. Tobin served as the sixth Premier of Newfoundland from 1996 to 2000. Tobin was also a prominent Member of Parliament and served as a Cabinet Minister in Jean Chrétien's Liberal government.- Early life, education, and family...
  
  : Former Premier of Newfoundland & Labrador & federal cabinet minister said in London that he will "absolutely not," consider running for Liberal leadership.
• Justin Trudeau
  Justin Trudeau
  Justin Pierre James Trudeau, MP is a Canadian politician. He has represented the Montreal electoral division of Papineau in the Canadian House of Commons since 2008 as a member of the Liberal Party and currently serves as the party's critic for youth, post-secondary education, and amateur...
  
   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."
• Joe Volpe
  Joe Volpe
  Giuseppe Joseph "Joe" Volpe, PC, was a Canadian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 until the 2011 federal election, being surpassed by the conservative member Joe Oliver Joe Oliver, and held two senior positions in Prime Minister Paul Martin's Cabinet...
  
  : 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.”

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 a successor. 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 Kennedy
  Gerard Michael Kennedy 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 Canada...
  
   endorses Bob Rae.
• December 8, 2008 - Liberal Party national executive meets to decide upon an expedited process for choosing a 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)
  • 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 Stéphane Dion
      Stéphane Dion
      Stéphane Maurice Dion, PC, MP is a Canadian politician who has been the Member of Parliament for the riding of Saint-Laurent–Cartierville in Montreal since 1996. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and the Leader of the Opposition in the Canadian House of Commons from 2006 to 2008...
      
      
  • 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.

Results

First Ballot

• IGNATIEFF, Michael Grant
  Michael Ignatieff
  Michael Grant Ignatieff is a Canadian author, academic and former politician. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011...
  
  - 1,964 (97%)
• Spoiled ballots - 59 (3%)

Total votes cast 2,023