page_title: 2009 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election
section_title: Bob Rae
hierarchical_section_title: 2009 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election / Withdrawn candidates / Bob Rae
caption_attribution_description: Picture of Bob Rae
context_page_description: The Liberal Party of Canada leadership election of 2009 was prompted by Stéphane Dion's announcement that he would not lead the Liberal Party of Canada into another election, following his party's defeat in the 2008 federal election in Canada. The Liberals, who captured just slightly over 26 per cent of the total votes, scored their lowest percentage in the party's history to that date.
  The party's national executive met on November 8, 2008, to set rules for the contest, and chose a date and location for the convention. A biennial and leadership convention was held in Vancouver, British Columbia from April 30 to May 3, 2009, with the new leader being chosen on May 2. Delegates to the convention were chosen from March 6–10, 2009, by those Liberal Party members who joined on or before February 6, 2009.
context_section_description: Rae, 60, had been the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre since 2008; former Ontario New Democratic Party Premier of Ontario (1990-1995), NDP MP for Broadview-Greenwood (1979–1982); former federal Liberal leadership contender placing third in 2003. Rae had been under increasing pressure to bow out of the leadership contest. On December 9, 2008, Bob Rae officially withdrew from the race, leaving Michael Ignatieff the winner by default.
  Date campaign launched:  October 31, 2008
  Date campaign ended:  December 9, 2008
  Supporters
  MPs: (10) Hedy Fry, Vancouver Centre; Lawrence MacAulay, Cardigan; Shawn Murphy, Charlottetown; Michael Savage, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour; Alexandra Mendes, Brossard—La Prairie; Gerard Kennedy, Parkdale—High Park; Anita Neville, Winnipeg North Centre; Irwin Cotler, Mount Royal; Joe Volpe, Eglinton—Lawrence; Carolyn Bennett, St. Paul's
  Past MPs: (6) Reg Alcock, Winnipeg South;  Chris Axworthy, Saskatoon—Clark's Crossing; Lloyd Axworthy, Winnipeg North Centre; Raymond Chan, Richmond; Diane Marleau, Sudbury; Anne McLellan, Edmonton Centre
  Senators: (15) Sharon Carstairs, Mobina Jaffer, Gerard Phalen, Joan Cook, William Rompkey, Peter Stollery, Mac Harb, Lorna Milne, Pierre De Bane, Serge Joyal, Michel Biron, Yoine Goldstein, Robert Peterson, Pierrette Ringuette-Maltais, Raymond Setlakwe
  Past Senators: (1) Jack Austin
  Provincial politicians: (4) Gulzar Singh Cheema MB former MLA for Kildonan and BC former Minister of State for Immigration and Multicultural Services and former MLA for Surrey-Panorama Ridge; Kevin Lamoureux MB MLA for Inkster; George Smitherman ON Deputy Premier, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, and MPP for Toronto Centre; Greg Sorbara ON former Minister of Finance and MPP for Vaughan;
  Other prominent individuals: (12) Jonathan Goldbloom, Montreal communications consultant; Karl Littler, former senior Paul Martin strategist; John Duffy, Martin strategist, political author, and consultant; Power Corporation executive and former Chrétien advisor John A. Rae; former Young Liberals of Canada President Richard Diamond, Nick Taylor, Colin MacDonald, Roy Bluehorn, Monica Lysak, Walter Noel, Ronald St.-Onge Lynch, Jake Gray.
caption: Bob Rae
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