2006 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

2006 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

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Candidate Stéphane Dion Michael Ignatieff Fourth ballot delegate count 2,521 (54.7%) 2,084 (45.3%) Third ballot delegate count 1,782 (37.0%) 1,660 (34.5%) Second ballot delegate count 974 (20.8%) 1,481 (31.6%) First ballot delegate count 856 (17.8%) 1,412 (29.3%)   Candidate Bob Rae Gerard Kennedy Fourth ballot delegate count Eliminated Withdrew Third ballot delegate count 1,375 (28.5%) Withdrew Second ballot delegate count 1,132 (24.1%) 884 (18.8%) First ballot delegate count 977 (20.3%) 854 (17.7%)

Leader before election Bill Graham (interim) Elected Leader Stéphane Dion

2006 Liberal leadership election

Date	December 2–3, 2006
Convention	Palais des congrès de Montréal[1]
Resigning leader	Paul Martin
Won by	Stéphane Dion
Ballots	4
Candidates	8
Entrance Fee	C$50,000
Spending limit	C$3.4 million
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Liberal Party of Canada leadership, 2006

The 2006 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election was prompted by outgoing Prime Minister Paul Martin's announcement that he would not lead the Liberal Party of Canada into another election, following his party's defeat in the 2006 federal election in Canada. The party's biennial convention, already scheduled to occur from November 29 to December 1, 2006, in Montreal's Palais des congrès, was followed by the party's leadership convention at the same venue occurring December 2 to December 3, 2006. As the winner, Stéphane Dion led the Liberal Party into the 2008 federal election.

The party constitution set out a process by which the party leader would be chosen by several thousand delegates, who were elected by riding associations, women's associations, and Young Liberal clubs in proportion to the number of votes they received at a delegate selection meeting of the general membership of that association. Hundreds of other ex officio delegates were automatically awarded delegate spots at the convention, including Liberal Members of Parliament, Senators, riding association presidents, past candidates and members of provincial or territorial association executive boards.

As stipulated by the party constitution, the selection of delegates for the convention had to occur 35 to 59 days prior to the convention, and only Liberals who had joined the party at least 90 days before the delegate-selection meetings could vote for delegates, although there was no deadline for becoming delegates themselves. As a result, the early months of the leadership race were dominated by competing drives to sign up members who were likely to back the various candidacies.

The convention date was approximately three years after the 2003 convention, in which Paul Martin was selected after years of conflict between his faction of the party and that of outgoing Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.

After four ballots, former cabinet minister and dark horse candidate Stéphane Dion won the leadership on December 2, 2006.

As of 2022, this remains the only Liberal Party leadership convention since 1958 in which none of the contenders had previously run for the party's leadership. Michael Ignatieff, who finished as runner-up, would later run again for the party's leadership in 2009 and was elected unopposed, while Martha Hall Findlay, who was eliminated in the first round of this election, ran again in 2013, finishing third.