Liberal Party of Canada leadership elections

The first three leaders of the Liberal Party of Canada were not chosen at a leadership convention. Alexander Mackenzie (March 1873 – April 1880) and Edward Blake (May 1880 – June 1887) were chosen by the party caucus. Wilfrid Laurier (June 1887 – February 1919) was also chosen by caucus members with the party convention of 1893 ratifying his leadership. The most recent leadership election was held in 2025.

The first Liberal leadership convention was held on August 7, 1919. Balloting continued until one candidate won a majority of votes. After the 1919 convention, a system was adopted where the candidate with the fewest votes on a given ballot is automatically dropped. More recently, any candidate with less than 5% of the vote on the first ballot is also automatically dropped. Since 1919, time has also been given between ballots for candidates to announce if they wish to withdraw and throw their support to another candidate.

The 2009 Liberal leadership election was the last one in which the leader was chosen by delegates. Future leadership elections were to be conducted according to a weighted one member, one vote system in which all party members could cast ballots but in which they would be counted so that each riding had equal weight. This system, however, has been modified in the 2012 Biennial Convention in Ottawa. In addition to the card-carrying membership, registered supporters, a newly created category of Liberal sympathisers, given the right to vote in their constituency.

1919 leadership convention results

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The 1919 leadership convention was held in Ottawa, Ontario on August 7, 1919.

Delegate support by ballot

Candidate		1st ballot		2nd ballot		5th ballot
		Votes cast	%	Votes cast	%	Votes cast	%
	William Lyon Mackenzie King	344	36.3%	411	43.8%	476	52.1%
	William Stevens Fielding	297	31.3%	344	36.6%	438	47.9%
	George Perry Graham	153	16.2%	124	13.2%	Withdrew
	Daniel Duncan McKenzie	153	16.2%	60	6.4%	Withdrew
Total		947	100.0%	939	100.0%	914	100.0%

Graham withdrew while voting for the third ballot was underway. McKenzie withdrew while voting for the fourth ballot was in process. Votes were not counted for either one, and the convention proceeded directly to the fifth ballot.

1948 leadership convention results

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The 1948 leadership convention was held in Ottawa on August 7, 1948.

First Ballot

Candidate		Delegate Support	Percentage
	Louis St. Laurent	848	69.1%
	James Garfield Gardiner	323	26.3%
	Charles Gavan Power	56	4.6%
Total		1,227	100%

1958 leadership convention results

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The 1958 leadership convention was held in Ottawa on January 16, 1958.

First Ballot

Candidate		Delegate Support	Percentage
	Lester B. Pearson	1,074	77.8%
	Paul Martin Sr.	305	22.1%
	Harold Lloyd Henderson	1	0.1%
Total		1,380	100%

1968 leadership convention results

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The 1968 leadership convention was held in Ottawa Civic Centre in Ottawa, Ontario on April 6, 1968.

Delegate support by Ballot

Candidate		1st ballot		2nd ballot		3rd ballot		4th ballot
		Votes cast	%	Votes cast	%	Votes cast	%	Votes cast	%
	Pierre Trudeau	752	31.5%	964	40.5%	1,051	44.2%	1,203	50.9%
	Paul Hellyer	330	13.8%	465	19.5%	377	15.9%	Endorsed Winters
	Robert Winters	293	12.3%	473	19.9%	621	26.1%	954	40.3%
	Paul Martin Sr.	277	11.6%	Did not endorse
	John Turner	277	11.6%	347	14.6%	279	11.8%	195	8.2%
	John James Greene	169	7.1%	104	4.4%	29	1.2%	Endorsed Trudeau
	Allan MacEachen	163	6.8%	11	0.5%	Endorsed TrudeauTemplate:Ref label
	Eric Kierans	103	4.3%	Did not endorse
	Harold Lloyd Henderson	0	-	Did not endorse
Spoiled ballots		24	1.0%	15	0.6%	19	0.8%	13	0.6%
Total		2,390	100.0%	2,379	100.0%	2,376	100.0%	2,365	100.0%

Template:Note label MacEachen announced after the first ballot that he was withdrawing and would support Trudeau, but he missed the deadline to remove his name from the ballot.

1980 leadership convention

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} A leadership convention was scheduled for late March 1980, in Winnipeg, Manitoba but was cancelled due to the fall of the Progressive Conservative government on December 13, 1979 and the calling of the February 18, 1980 federal election. As a result of the snap election call, the Liberal caucus and party executive persuaded Pierre Trudeau to rescind his resignation as party leader and lead the Liberals into the election.

1984 leadership convention results

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The 1984 leadership convention was held in Ottawa on June 16, 1984.

Delegate support by Ballot

Candidate		1st ballot		2nd ballot
		Votes cast	%	Votes cast	%
	John Turner	1,593	46.4%	1,862	53.9%
Error creating thumbnail:	Jean Chrétien	1,067	31.1%	1,398	40.5%
File:DonaldJohnston.jpg	Don Johnston	278	8.1%	192	5.6%
	John Roberts	185	5.4%	Endorsed Chrétien
	Mark MacGuigan	135	3.9%	Endorsed Turner
	John Munro	93	2.7%	Endorsed Chrétien
	Eugene Whelan	84	2.4%	Endorsed Chrétien
Spoiled ballots		2	-	1	-
Total		3,437	100.0%	3,453	100.0%

1990 leadership convention results

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The 1990 leadership convention was held in Calgary, Alberta on June 23, 1990.

First Ballot

Candidate		Delegate Support	Percentage
Error creating thumbnail:	Jean Chrétien	2,652	56.8%
File:Paul martin 2004.jpg	Paul Martin	1,176	25.2%
File:Sheila Copps (cropped).jpg	Sheila Copps	499	10.7%
	Tom Wappel	267	5.7%
File:Jnphotocampaigning.jpg	John Nunziata	64	1.4%
Spoiled ballots		10	0.2%
Total		4,668	100%

2003 leadership convention results

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The 2003 leadership convention was held in Toronto, Ontario on November 14, 2003.

First Ballot

Candidate		Delegate Support	Percentage
File:Paul martin 2004.jpg	Paul Martin	3,242	93.8%
File:Sheila Copps (cropped).jpg	Sheila Copps	211	6.1%
Spoiled ballots		2	0.1%
Total		3,455	100%

Source: Parliament of Canada website

2006 leadership convention results

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The 2006 leadership convention was held at the Palais des congrès de Montréal in Montreal, Quebec on December 2–3, 2006.

Template:Color box = Eliminated from next round

Template:Color box = Withdrew nomination

Template:Color box = Winner

Delegate support by Ballot

Candidate		1st ballot		2nd ballot		3rd ballot		4th ballot
		Votes cast	%	Votes cast	%	Votes cast	%	Votes cast	%
File:Victoria, BC Liberal Town Hall Forum public libéral.jpg	Michael Ignatieff	1,412	29.3%	1,481	31.8%	1,660	34.5%	2,084	45.3%
File:Bob Rae.jpg	Bob Rae	977	20.3%	1,132	24.1%	1.375	28.5%	Released delegates
File:Stéphane Dion.jpg	Stéphane Dion	856	17.8%	974	20.8%	1.782	37.0%	2,521	54.7%
File:Gerard kennedy.jpg	Gerard Kennedy	854	17.7%	884	18.8%	Endorsed Dion
File:Ken Dryden 2011.jpg	Ken Dryden	238	4.9%	219	4.7%	Endorsed Rae
File:Scott Brison 2010.jpg	Scott Brison	192	4.0%	Endorsed Rae
File:Volpe.jpg	Joe Volpe	156	3.2%	Withdrew before 1st ballot began; endorsed Rae
File:Martha Hall Findlay 2011.jpg	Martha Hall Findlay	130	2.7%	Endorsed Dion
Total		4,815	100.0%	4,690	100.0%	4,817	100.0%	4,605	100.0%

2009 leadership convention results

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The 2009 leadership convention was held at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia from April 30-May 3, 2009.

Due to the selection of Michael Ignatieff as interim leader as a result of the 2008–2009 Canadian parliamentary dispute and an agreement by other candidates to withdraw in favour of Ignatieff, the 2009 convention served to ratify Ignatieff's leadership and was not a contested leadership vote. Bob Rae and Dominic LeBlanc withdrew in December 2008 (five months prior to the convention) allowing Ignatieff to become leader by default.

First Ballot

Candidate		Delegate Support	Percentage
File:Victoria, BC Liberal Town Hall Forum public libéral.jpg	Michael Ignatieff	1,964	97%
Spoiled ballots		59	3%
Total		2,023	100%

2013 leadership election

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The leadership election was held on April 14, 2013, in Ottawa, Ontario.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The voter turnout was 82% of all registered voters.

First Ballot

Candidate		Votes cast	%	Points allocated	%
File:Justin Trudeau 2014-1.jpg	Justin Trudeau	81,389	78.76%	24,668.71	80.09%
	Joyce Murray	12,148	11.76%	3,130.76	10.16%
File:Martha Hall Findlay 2011.jpg	Martha Hall Findlay	6,585	6.37%	1,760.43	5.72%
File:Martin Cauchon.PNG	Martin Cauchon	1,630	1.58%	815.86	2.65%
	Deborah Coyne	833	0.81%	214.14	0.70%
File:McCrimmon 2013-02-16.JPG	Karen McCrimmon	757	0.73%	210.08	0.68%
Rejected Ballots		1,210
Total		104,552	100.00	30,800	100.00

2025 leadership election

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The leadership election was held on March 9, 2025, at the Rogers Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. The voter turnout was 92.7% of verified registered party members.<ref name="results">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

First Ballot

Candidate		Votes cast	%	Points allocated	%
File:Mark Carney (cropped).jpg	Mark Carney	131,774	86.75%	29,457	85.88%
File:Chrystia Freeland 2023 (cropped).jpg	Chrystia Freeland	11,134	7.33%	2,729	7.96%
File:Karina Gould (cropped).jpg	Karina Gould	4,785	3.15%	1,100	3.21%
File:Frank Baylis BBQ Photo (cropped).jpg	Frank Baylis	4,038	2.66%	1,014	2.96%
Rejected Ballots
Total		151,899	100.00	34,300	100.00