2009 Ontario New Democratic Party leadership election


The 2009 Ontario New Democratic Party leadership election was held in Hamilton, from March 6 to 8, 2009 to elect a successor to Howard Hampton as leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party. On June 15, 2008, Hampton informed the party's provincial council that he would not stand for re-election as leader at the next party convention in a year's time. While a leadership vote was held at each biennial convention of the Ontario NDP until and including the last regular convention in 2007, there is normally not a contested vote unless there is a vacancy, therefore, the 2009 vote was the party's first leadership convention since Hampton was elected in 1996 to succeed Bob Rae.
With the support of high-profile party members such as the left-wing MPP Peter Kormos and Sid Ryan, the President of CUPE Ontario, Andrea Horwath, the MPP for Hamilton Centre, won the leadership contest with 60.4% of the vote on the final ballot. As of 2018, it remains the last leadership election held by the Ontario New Democratic Party.

Candidates

Gilles Bisson

, 52, is the Member of Provincial Parliament for Timmins—James Bay. He was first elected in the 1990 provincial election in the riding of Cochrane South. He served as parliamentary assistant to the Ministers of Northern Development and Mines and Francophone Affairs from 1990 until 1995. He was re-elected by a greater margin in Cochrane South in the 1995 election. He was subsequently re-elected in Timmins—James Bay in the 1999, 2003 and 2007 elections. Before entering politics, he was a labour union organizer.
, 46, is the MPP for Hamilton Centre. She was defeated in the 1997 federal election in Hamilton West, where she finished a distant second place. She was first elected to Hamilton, Ontario City Council in 1997, representing Ward 2. She was re-elected in 2000 and again in 2003. She was first elected to the Ontario legislature in a by-election in 2004 in the riding of Hamilton East with 63.6% of the vote. She was subsequently re-elected in the riding of Hamilton Centre in the 2007 election. Before entering politics, she was a community development worker.
, 60, is the MPP for Beaches—East York. He has been an MPP since 2001 when he defeated Liberal Bob Hunter in a hotly contested by-election. Prue was first elected to public office as a city councillor in 1988, and then became mayor in 1993 of the former Borough of East York. In 1997, East York was amalgamated into the City of Toronto and Prue was elected to Toronto City Council, where he served until his election to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Prue was re-elected as MPP of Beaches-East York in 2003, and again in 2007. Prior to entering politics, Prue worked as counsel for the Minister of Employment and Immigration.
, 57, is the MPP for Toronto—Danforth. Tabuns served on Toronto City Council from 1990 to 1997 representing Ward 8. He was defeated in 1997 ironically by two NDP affiliated candidates when Toronto City Council was amalgamated with the Metro Council. From 1999 to 2004 he served as the executive director of Greenpeace Canada. In the 2004 Canadian federal election he ran in the riding of Beaches—East York where he lost to Liberal MP Maria Minna. He received 32% of the vote. He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in a by-election in 2006 in which he received 48% of the vote. He was re-elected in the 2007 election with 46% of the vote, Before entering politics, he was an insurance clerk.
Peter Tabuns drew on his environmentalist roots and made his proposal for a "New Energy Economy" based on green principles the centrepiece of his campaign.
Michael Prue raised the idea of reviewing the Separate School System and possibly amalgamating it with the public school system. He also advocated a cities-centered economic policy and giving more power to municipalities. On party issues he advocated giving each riding association $10,000 during elections.
Gilles Bisson emphasized reforms to party fund raising in order to allow riding associations to keep more of the money they raised. In public policy he advocated targeted corporate tax cuts and an anti-crime platform.
Andrea Horwath advocated heavy investment in light rail. In party matters she emphasised a closer relationship to unions and the hiring of regional organisers.

Procedure

In the past, the Ontario NDP has used a traditional delegated leadership convention to select its leaders in which delegates elected by local riding associations, campus clubs, labour union locals affiliated with the party choose the leader. However, at its January 2007 provincial convention, the Ontario NDP amended its constitution bringing in a One Member One Vote procedure modelled on that used by the New Democratic Party of Canada in its 2003 federal leadership election in which the votes of all party members is weighted to 75% of the total with the remaining 25% being allocated to the party's affiliates.
The ONDP constitution stipulates that:
The party's Executive Committee finalized the deadlines, spending limits and other rules for the March 2009 election. The spending limit was $500,000 and the cut-off for new members was January 5, 2009. Membership fees were $25 with a reduced rate of $5 for students and the unemployed. The entrance fee for candidates was $15,000, and the party and candidates were required to provide the signatures of 100 party members, at least half of them women, from all four regions of the province. Candidates were allowed to spend up to $500,000 and 40% of the money candidates raise was to be remitted to the party. Two-time NDP candidate Michael Laxer criticized the entrance fee as being too high, saying: "What you get by doing that is you manifestly limit the number of people who are outside the party establishment, and who have available big backers of one kind or another."
Advance voting was available via mail or internet by preferential ballot. "Real time" voting took place on March 7, 2009, by phone or internet. Those voting on March 7 voted for one candidate only per balloting round. The voting periods were announced at the convention, on the voting website, the voting phone number and on the NDP convention website. On each individual ballot separately with the lowest ranking candidate being dropped off of each successive ballot until one candidate receives a majority of the vote.

Voting results

CandidateWeighted VotesPercentage
Andrea Horwath4,625.2937.1
Peter Tabuns3,437.9327.6
Gilles Bisson2,954.2323.7
Michael Prue1,438.4411.5
Total12,455.89100

Movement: Prue eliminated, endorses Bisson
CandidateWeighted VotesPercentage+/-
Andrea Horwath5,259.0643.6+6.5
Peter Tabuns3,819.8231.7+4.1
Gilles Bisson2,988.1224.8+1.1
Total12,067100.0-

Movement: Bisson eliminated, endorses Horwath
CandidateWeighted VotesPercentage+/-
Andrea Horwath6732.3460.4 +16.8
Peter Tabuns4420.6639.6+7.9
Total11,152.9100.0-

Timeline