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2013 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

The 2013 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election was triggered by Michael Ignatieff's announcement on May 3, 2011, of his intention to resign as leader following the party's defeat in the 2011 federal election. On May 25, 2011, Bob Rae was appointed by Liberal caucus as interim leader. The party announced Justin Trudeau as its new leader on April 14, 2013, in Ottawa, Ontario.[1][2]

Justin Trudeau would go on to become the 23rd prime minister of Canada in the 2015 Canadian federal election in which the Liberal Party won 184 seats, an increase of 150 seats from 34 seats in the 2011 election, the largest-ever numerical increase by a party in a Canadian election.

Leadership election timing[edit]

Michael Ignatieff declared on May 3, 2011, that he intended to resign as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, but his statement was worded so as not to be an actual resignation to avoid immediately triggering a leadership vote under party rules; he tendered a letter of resignation to the party's National Board of Directors on May 11.[3][4] Under the provisions of the party's constitution, the Board was required to set a date for a leadership vote to be held within five months thereafter.[5] However several MPs expressed their reluctance to hold a third leadership election in eight years and instead wanted to take the four years of electoral stability provided by a majority parliament as an opportunity to rebuild under an interim leader for as much as two years before selecting a permanent leader.


The Board met as required on May 19 and set the election for October 28 and 29, 2011, but adopted a proposed constitutional amendment allowing this leadership election to be held between March 1 and June 30, 2013, with the exact date to be announced no sooner than five months in advance.[6] The next convention of the party adopted the amendment on June 18, 2011.[7] On June 13, 2012, the Board decided to call the leadership vote for April 2013 with a specific date to be confirmed during the summer.[8] The Board subsequently established April 14, 2013, as the date the leadership election winner is to be announced and November 14, 2012, as the official start of the race. It also set a spending limit of $950,000 and a debt limit of $75,000, both considerably lower figures than allowed in 2006.[1]

Process[edit]

130,774 Liberal Party members and supporters registered to vote in the election[17] of almost 300,000 who were eligible.[18] General voting took place from April 7 to April 14, 2013, by preferential ballot online and by phone. Each electoral district was allocated 100 points with points in a district allocated in proportion to each candidate by the number of first preference votes received. All points were then aggregated nationally for a "national count". If no candidate received 15,401 points on the first count, then the candidate with the fewest points would be eliminated and his/her votes are distributed in each electoral district among the remaining leadership contestants according to the next preference indicated. This process would then continue until one candidate has more than 15,401 points.[19] Trudeau was selected on the first ballot.

May 2, 2009: wins the leadership election to succeed Stéphane Dion.

Michael Ignatieff

May 2, 2011: Federal election reduces the Liberal Party to 34 seats in the House of Commons, third place behind the and the NDP.

Conservative Party of Canada

May 3, 2011: Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff informs a press conference that he does not intend to continue as party leader.

May 9, 2011: Liberal Party National Board of Directors sets rules that the party's interim leader had to be bilingual and agree not to run as permanent leader or to pursue any merger talks with the NDP.

[9]

May 11, 2011: Ignatieff formally tenders his resignation in a letter to the Liberal Party's National Board of Directors.

May 25, 2011: Liberal caucus votes to recommend Bob Rae over Marc Garneau as interim leader; Rae's election as interim leader confirmed by the National Board.

June 18, 2011: An extraordinary convention of the party is held via conference call in which the party's constitution is amended to allow the leadership election to be delayed from the fall of 2011 to between March 1 and June 30, 2013.

January 14, 2012: Liberal biennial convention adopts proposal for a new "supporter" class of non-members who will join members in the right to elect the new leader.[20]

[2]

April 21, 2012: Liberal National Board of Directors meets to discuss rules for the leadership election; most decisions are deferred until a subsequent meeting to be held in June.

[21]

May 2, 2012: Liberal Party opens the "supporter" category of party affiliation allowing Canadians who are not paid members or members of another political party to vote for the Liberal leadership after affirming that they "support the Liberal Party of Canada".[23]

[22]

June 13, 2012: Liberal National Board met to clarify rules for the leadership election, including whether or not the interim leader is eligible to run. The Board decided that the leadership election will be held April 2013 with a specific date to be confirmed during the summer.[8][24] Hours prior to the meeting, Rae announces he will not be a candidate in the leadership election.[16]

[15]

June 27, 2012: begins her campaign.

Deborah Coyne

September 6, 2012: Party announces that the winner of the election will be made public on April 14, 2013, in , Ontario. Additionally, the party sets an entrance fee of $75,000 ($25,000 when the candidate registers and two further installments of $25,000)[25] and a spending limit of $950,000. Candidates may not accumulate more than $75,000 of debt.[1]

Ottawa

October 2, 2012: begins his campaign.

Justin Trudeau

November 7, 2012: David Bertschi begins his campaign.

[1]

November 26, 2012: begins her campaign.

Joyce Murray

November 28, 2012: begins his campaign.

Marc Garneau

November 29, 2012: begins his campaign.

George Takach

December 15, 2012: Deadline for registered candidates to have paid at least $50,000 of the $75,000 entry fee.

[26]

January 13, 2013: begins his campaign.

Martin Cauchon

January 14, 2013: Deadline for candidates to file a nomination form signed by at least 300 members of the party, including at least 100 members from each of three different provinces or territories, and to have paid the final installment of the $75,000 registration fee.[25]

[2]

January 20, 2013: Liberal Party of Canada Leadership Debate in Vancouver, British Columbia.

[2]

February 2, 2013: Liberal Party of Canada Leadership Debate in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

[27]

February 16, 2013: Liberal Party of Canada Leadership Debate in Mississauga, Ontario.

[2]

February 25, 2013: Candidate withdraws from the race.

George Takach

[2]

March 13, 2013: Candidate withdraws from the race citing his ranking in a March 7 robocall poll which, on March 14, his team admitted did not comply with CRTC rules.[29]

Marc Garneau

March 21, 2013: Deadline for members and supporters to register to vote (extended from March 14, 2013).

[30]

March 21, 2013: Candidate David Bertschi withdraws from the race.

March 23, 2013: Liberal Party of Canada Leadership Debate in Montreal, Quebec.

[2]

April 6, 2013: Liberal Party of Canada Leadership National Showcase in Toronto, Ontario. Voting begins using preferential ballot.[26]

[2]

ET

MPs:

Senators:

Provincial politicians:

Other prominent individuals: (4) Research scientist and entrepreneur ;[33] France Chrétien Desmarais, lawyer and daughter of former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien;[33] Pierre Jean Jeanniot, President and CEO of JINMAG Inc.;[34] opera singer Jean-François Lapointe[33]

Francesco Bellini

Provincial politicians: (2) ON MPP for Ottawa—Orléans;[114] Jean Poirier ON former MPP for Prescott and Russell[115]

Phil McNeely

MP for Kings—Hants[138][139]

Scott Brison

Governor of the Bank of Canada and Governor-designate of the Bank of England[114]

Mark Carney

former Premier of Quebec and former MP for Sherbrooke (1984–1998), former leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (1993–1998)[140][141]

Jean Charest

MP for Bourassa[142]

Denis Coderre

former MP Ajax—Pickering (2004–2011)[85]

Mark Holland

MP for Scarborough—Agincourt[145]

Jim Karygiannis

former MP for Parkdale—High Park (2008–2011)[146]

Gerard Kennedy

MP for Beauséjour[73]

Dominic LeBlanc

former MP for Ottawa South (1988–2004) and Deputy Prime Minister (2002–2003)[147]

John Manley

MP for Markham—Unionville[148]

John McCallum

MPP for Ottawa South and former Premier of Ontario[149]

Dalton McGuinty

MP for Ottawa South[150]

David McGuinty

former Premier of New Brunswick (1987–1997)[151]

Frank McKenna

Liberal candidate North Vancouver (2011)[152]

Taleeb Noormohamed

current interim leader and MP for Toronto Centre and former NDP Premier of Ontario (1990–1995)[16]

Bob Rae

MP for Halifax West[153]

Geoff Regan

2013 Ontario Liberal Party leadership election

2013 Quebec Liberal Party leadership election

2013 Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador leadership election

Results

Official site