Ontario Liberal Party leadership elections


This is a list of results of leadership elections for the Ontario Liberal Party, a political party in Ontario, Canada.
Note: Before 1919, the leaders of the Ontario Liberal Party were chosen by its elected Members of the Legislative Assembly. There were calls for a more open process as early as 1907.

1919 leadership convention

First ballot:
Second ballot:
Charles Martin Bowman, MPP for Bruce North; W.T.R. Preston, editor of the Port Hope Evening Guide, Rev. W. G. Charlton of Aylmer, and A. J. Young of Toronto were nominated but declined. Frederick Forsyth Pardee, Member of Parliament for Lambton West was to be nominated but sent a message to the convention declining.

1922 leadership convention

1930 leadership convention

W.E.N. Sinclair and Sydney Tweed both withdrew from the race before balloting.

1943 leadership convention

There were 8 spoiled ballots.
Premier Gordon Conant had also been a candidate but collapsed the morning of the leadership vote and withdrew.

1945 leadership election

Harry Nixon resigned as Liberal leader on December 10, 1944 and nominated Hepburn to succeed him as parliamentary leader until a leadership convention could be held. Following the defeat of George Drew's Conservative government in a non-confidence motion, Hepburn was elected Acting Leader on April 2, 1945, at a joint meeting held at the King Edward Hotel of Ontario Liberal MPPs, federal Ontario Liberal MPs the party executive and other party officials in order to lead the party into the election. The move was to be affirmed by a party convention to be held on May 1, but this was cancelled due to the 1945 provincial election being underway.
Hepburn was defeated in the 1945 provincial election, and Farquhar Oliver was chosen as the Ontario Liberal Party's parliamentary leader on July 4, 1945.

1947 leadership convention

1950 leadership convention

First ballot:
Second ballot :
Third ballot :

1954 leadership convention

1958 leadership convention

First ballot:
Wren eliminated and endorsed Wintermeyer; Whicher and Reaume withdrew and endorsed Wintermeyer.
Second ballot:
Singer eliminated.
Third ballot:

1964 leadership convention

Candidate1st ballot1st ballot2nd ballot2nd ballot3rd ballot3rd ballot4th ballot4th ballot5th ballot5th ballot6th ballot6th ballot
NameVotes cast%Votes cast%Votes cast%Votes cast%Votes cast%Votes cast%
Andy Thompson37927.740829.746233.652038.153939.977258.8
Charles Templeton31723.135625.939628.842230.941931.054041.2
Robert Nixon31322.835125.635625.938728.339229.0
Joe Greene23617.221115.414910.9372.7
Victor Copps614.5272.0100.7
Eddie Sargent513.7201.5
Joseph Gould130.9
Total1,370100.01,373100.01,373100.01,366100.01,350100.01,312100.0

1967 leadership convention

1973 leadership convention

Candidate1st ballot1st ballot2nd ballot2nd ballot3rd ballot3rd ballot
NameVotes cast%Votes cast%Votes cast%
Robert Nixon73042.576845.392257.7
Norman Cafik57433.461336.167542.3
Donald Deacon40223.431618.6Endorsed NixonEndorsed Nixon
Michael Houlton110.6No endorsementNo endorsementNo endorsementNo endorsement
Total1,717100.01,697100.01,597100.0

1976 leadership convention

Candidate1st ballot1st ballot2nd ballot2nd ballot3rd ballot3rd ballot
NameVotes cast%Votes cast%Votes cast%
Stuart Smith62932.074238.599851.2
David Peterson51826.467334.995348.8
Albert Roy46923.951326.6No EndorsementNo Endorsement
Mark MacGuigan30815.7No EndorsementNo EndorsementNo EndorsementNo Endorsement
Larry Condon371.9No EndorsementNo EndorsementNo EndorsementNo Endorsement
Michael Houlton40.2No endorsementNo endorsementNo endorsementNo endorsement
Total1,965100.01,928100.01,951100.0

1982 leadership convention

.
Candidate1st Ballot1st Ballot2nd Ballot2nd Ballot------
NameVotes%Votes%------
David Peterson96646.3113655.2------
Sheila Copps63630.577437.6------
Richard Thomas23411.21487.2------
Jim Breithaupt1306.2------
John Sweeney1225.8------
Votes cast by ballotVotes cast by ballotVotes cast by ballotVotes cast by ballotVotes cast by ballotVotes cast by ballotVotes cast by ballotVotes cast by ballotVotes cast by ballotVotes cast by ballotVotes cast by ballot
Total2088100.02058100.0------

1992 leadership convention

Candidate1st Ballot1st Ballot2nd Ballot2nd Ballot3rd Ballot3rd Ballot4th Ballot4th Ballot5th Ballot 5th Ballot
NameVotes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%
Murray Elston74030.276731.886535.698841.6115349.8
Lyn McLeod66727.274430.987335.9104944.1116250.2
Greg Sorbara34514.138015.840216.634114.3Released delegatesReleased delegates
Charles Beer24710.130712.728911.9Released delegatesReleased delegatesReleased delegatesReleased delegates
Steve Mahoney2369.62138.8Supported McLeodSupported McLeodSupported McLeodSupported McLeodSupported McLeodSupported McLeod
David Ramsay2168.8Released delegatesReleased delegatesReleased delegatesReleased delegatesReleased delegatesReleased delegatesReleased delegatesReleased delegates
Votes cast by ballotVotes cast by ballotVotes cast by ballotVotes cast by ballotVotes cast by ballotVotes cast by ballotVotes cast by ballotVotes cast by ballotVotes cast by ballotVotes cast by ballotVotes cast by ballot
Total2451100.02411100.02429100.02378100.02315100.0

2023 leadership election

A leadership election was held December 2, 2023 due to the June 2, 2022 resignation of Steven Del Duca as party leader following his party's poor result in the 2022 Ontario general election.
According to the party, 22,827 party members cast ballots out of a total membership of over 100,000.

Next leadership election

A leadership election will be held due to her pending resignation of Bonnie Crombie as party leader, following her poor result in a leadership review vote.