page_title: 2009 Ontario New Democratic Party leadership election
section_title: Gilles Bisson
hierarchical_section_title: 2009 Ontario New Democratic Party leadership election / Candidates / Gilles Bisson
caption_attribution_description: English: Gilles Bisson
context_page_description: 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.
context_section_description: Gilles Bisson, 52, is the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) 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.
  High-profile supporters: Charlie Angus, MP - Timmins James Bay; Tony Martin, MP - Sault Ste. Marie; Carol Hughes, MP - Algoma; John Rafferty, MP - Thunder Bay-Rainy River; Claude Gravelle, MP - Nickel Belt; Bruce Hyer, MP - Thunder Bay - Superior North; Glenn Thibeault, MP - Sudbury; France Gélinas, MPP - Nickel Belt; Tania Cameron, former NDP Candidate - Kenora and Band Manager - Dalles First Nation; Dianna Allen, former NDP Candidate - Nipissing-Timiskaming; Ric Dagenais, former NDP Candidate - Ottawa-Vanier; Wayne Lessard, former MPP - Windsor—St. Clair; Gord Wilson, Former President - Ontario Federation of Labour; Fred Upshaw, Former President - OPSEU; United Food and Commercial Workers Union; Dave Killham, Executive Director, Workers Health and Safety Centre
  Date campaign announced: July 14, 2008
  Date campaign officially launched: August 28, 2008
  Date officially registered: August 27, 2008
caption: Gilles Bisson
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