| Liberal leadership election, 2003 | |
| Date | November 14, 2003 |
| Convention | Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario |
| Campaign to replace |
Jean Chrétien |
| Won by | Paul Martin |
| Ballots | 1 |
| Candidates | 2 |
| Entrance Fee | $75,000 |
| Spending limit | $4 million |
|
Liberal leadership elections 1919 · 1948 · 1958 · 1968 · 1984 · 1990 · 2003 · 2006 · 2009 · 2013 |
|
The 2003 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election ended on November 14, 2003, electing Paul Martin as the party's new leader, replacing outgoing Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. The official campaign had lasted several months, although the candidates had been trying to get the position for years. Indeed, Martin's supporters had been pushing for leadership contests as early as 1997 and again in 2000.
Stakes for the race were very high as the winner would become Prime Minister because the Liberal Party then formed the government, and the winner would take a party that was high in the polls and likely to be re-elected with an even larger majority.
Paul Martin spent the entire race as the unquestionable front runner, as his supporters had secured a lock on the party executives of the federal and most provincial sections of the party. They had made rules such as those regarding the sale of party memberships so onerous as to give Martin an unsurmountable advantage. Because of this, many potential candidates did not enter the race or dropped out, including John Manley, Allan Rock, and Brian Tobin. As Martin held a large lead throughout the campaign, despite refusing demands from Manley to reveal his donors, even most Chrétien supporters grudgingly voted for Martin rather than rally around any of the other candidates.
Martin easily captured the leadership with 93.8% of the delegates, however the party would be plagued by significant infighting afterwards, as he and his supporters moved to remove Chrétien supporters from cabinet and even from Parliament.
Simon Fraser University professor Doug McArthur has noted that Martin's leadership campaign used aggressive tactics, in attempting to end the contest before it could start by giving the impression that his bid was too strong, similar to the strategy being used by Brian Topp for the 2012 NDP federal leadership. McArthur blamed Martin's tactics for the ongoing sag in Liberal fortunes, as it discouraged activists who were not on side.[1]
Contents |
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| First Ballot | ||
| Martin | 3,242 | 93.8% |
| Copps | 211 | 6.1% |
| Spoiled ballots | 2 | 0.1% |
| Total votes cast | 3,455 | 100% |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||