1990 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election
Date | May 12, 1990 |
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Convention | Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership conventions
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The 1990 Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership election was a leadership convention held in May 1990 to elect a new leader for the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Two candidates vied for the leadership - Mike Harris and Dianne Cunningham. Using a novel voting system used due to party funding constraints, Harris was elected over Cunningham in a single ballot by a margin of 7,175 points to 5,825 points.
Background
The convention was held to replace Larry Grossman who resigned following the 1987 provincial election in which he lost his seat and saw his party, which had ruled the province for 42 years until 1985, fall to third place. Andy Brandt served as interim leader for three years leading to the 1990 convention.
The Progressive Conservatives had been led by
Procedure
The 1990 leadership vote was the first in which the Tories used a weighted
Both candidates were considered low-profile. Harris had briefly been a junior cabinet minister in Miller's short lived 1985 government while Cunningham was a rookie MPP who was elected in a 1988 by-election. Better known potential candidates such as Dennis Timbrell, Barbara McDougall, David Crombie, John Tory and party president Tom Long all turned down the chance to run.[2][3]
Due to party debt, lingering after the 1987 election, the Conservative party decided not to hold a traditional convention. Instead, party members would vote in their respective ridings and the results would be faxed to Toronto for tabulation. Less than half of the eligible 33,000 eligible voters cast a vote. Due to the frugal nature of the convention and the voting innovation, the election received little media and public attention.[1]
First ballot
Candidate | 1st ballot | |
---|---|---|
Name | Votes cast | % |
Mike Harris | 7,175 | 55.2 |
Dianne Cunningham | 5,825 | 44.8 |
Total | 13,000 | 100.0 |
The non-weighted vote totals were: Harris 8661, Cunningham 7189 using a
References
- ^ a b Rand Dyck (1997). David Leyton-Brown (ed.). Canadian Annual Review of Politics and Public Affairs (1990). Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 139–140.
- ^ "Novel voting system the key to election of new Tory chief". Toronto Star. May 12, 1990.
- ^ Rand Dyck (1995). David Leyton-Brown (ed.). Canadian Annual Review of Politics and Public Affairs (1989). Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 146.