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

In 2006, the Liberal Party of Canada held a leadership election to choose a successor to outgoing leader Paul Martin. Martin had announced that he would not lead the Liberals 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.

After four ballots, former cabinet minister and dark horse candidate Stéphane Dion won the leadership on December 2, 2006. As the winner, Dion led the Liberal Party into the 2008 federal election.

This was the only Liberal Party leadership convention in-between 1958 and 2025 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.