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The Ontario Liberal Party leadership election, 1996, held on December 1, 1996 elected Dalton McGuinty as the new leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, replacing Lyn McLeod, who announced her resignation on August, 1996. McGuinty lost the 1999 election but won in 2003 and served as Premier for ten years until 2013.

Delegate selection

Liberal party policy allowed for 2,400 delegates to be selected by local riding associations. These delegates were committed to vote for a particular candidate on the first ballot but could change their mind on subsequent ballots depending on candidate 'wheeling and dealing'. There were also 500 ex-officio delegates made up of party insiders who were not committed to voting for any candidate.

Background

The leadership convention was held to replace Lyn McLeod who resigned after leading the Liberals to defeat in the 1995 election campaign. Seven candidates entered the race, six caucus members and one outside candidate. They were John Gerretsen, Dwight Duncan, Dalton McGuinty, Anna-Marie Castrilli, Joseph Cordiano, Gerrard Kennedy and Greg Kells an Ottawa area businessman.

Kennedy quickly attained front runner status in the race. Although he was recently elected in a by-election he gained notoriety as head of the Daily Bread Food Bank. He was known for criticising the NDP's food policy yet coming up with practical methods to combat hunger. Duncan, Cordiano and McGuinty all elicited strong initial delegate support. Gerretsen, Castrilli and Kells were clearly longshot candidates.

The fifth ballot, past 4 AM, came to a final direct match between Kennedy, who had led all four ballots, and McGuinty, who had steadily risen from an initial fourth place. Kennedy was seen as a more centre-left candidate, McGuinty as more centre-right. Critics argued McGuinty was little more than 'Harris-lite'. Supporters countered that election of the Mike Harris government marked a transformation of thinking in Ontario politics and that the Liberals needed a right-leaning leader to compete against Harris rather than someone who would compete against NDP for a diminishing number of left-leaning voters.

Ballot results

  = Eliminated from next round

  = Withdrew nomination

  = Winner

Delegate support by ballot

Candidate		elected delegates		1st Ballot (7:31pm)		2nd Ballot (10:25pm)		3rd Ballot (12:39am)		4th Ballot (2:35am)		5th Ballot (4:25am)
Name		Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
	Gerard Kennedy	703	29.5	770	30.1	775	30.9	803	31.9	968	40.1	1065	46.9
	Joseph Cordiano	497	20.8	557	21.8	570	22.7	601	23.9	696	28.8	Supported McGuinty
	Dwight Duncan	393	16.5	464	18.1	474	18.9	509	20.3	Supported Kennedy
	Dalton McGuinty	410	17.2	450	17.6	440	17.6	601	23.9	750	31.1	1205	53.1
	John Gerretsen	129	5.4	152	6.0	124	5.0	Supported McGuinty
	Anna-Marie Castrilli	110	4.6	141	5.5	122	4.9	Supported McGuinty
	Greg Kells	17	0.7	24	0.9	Released delegates
	Independent	127	5.3
Total
Total		-	-	2558	100.0	2505	100.0	2514	100.0	2414	100.0	2270	100.0

Castrilli initially withdrew from the 2nd ballot but subsequently returned, causing a delay in voting

References

1. "New Liberal chief vows to get party moving". Toronto Star. 2 December 1996.
2. David Mutimer, ed. (2002). Canadian Annual Review of Politics and Public Affairs (1996). Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 120–1.

• 1996 elections in Canada
• 1996 in Ontario
• Leaders of the Ontario Liberal Party
• Ontario Liberal Party leadership elections