| Date | December 1, 1996 |
|---|---|
| Convention | Maple Leaf Gardens,[1] Toronto |
| Resigning leader | Lyn McLeod |
| Won by | Dalton McGuinty |
| Ballots | 5 |
| Candidates | 7 |
The 1996 Ontario Liberal Party leadership convention, held between November 29 and December 1, 1996 at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, elected Dalton McGuinty as the new leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, replacing Lyn McLeod, who announced her resignation following the 1995 Ontario provincial election.
The contest featured seven official candidates: MPPs Anna-Marie Castrilli, Joseph Cordiano, Dwight Duncan, John Gerretsen, Gerrard Kennedy, and Dalton McGuinty, and businessman Greg Kells. McGuinty lost the subsequent 1999 provincial election but won in 2003 and served as Premier for almost ten years until 2013.