Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, 1968
| Date | April 6, 1968 |
|---|---|
| Convention | Ottawa Civic Centre |
| Resigning leader | Lester Pearson |
| Won by | Pierre Trudeau |
| Ballots | 4 |
| Candidates | 9 |
| Entrance Fee | none |
| Spending limit | none |
The Liberal Party of Canada leadership election of 1968 elected Pierre Elliott Trudeau as the new leader of the Liberal Party. He was the unexpected winner in what was one of the most important leadership conventions in party history. The Globe and Mail newspaper report the next day called it "the most chaotic, confusing, and emotionally draining convention in Canadian political history."
The convention was held following the announced retirement of Lester B. Pearson, who was a much respected party leader and Prime Minister of Canada, but who had failed to win a majority government in two attempts. Eight high-profile cabinet ministers entered the race, but by the time the convention began on April 3 the charismatic Trudeau had emerged as the front runner. He was strongly opposed by the party's right wing, but this faction was divided between former Minister of Trade and Commerce Robert Winters and Minister of Transport Paul Hellyer, and failed to mount a united opposition. Trudeau won the leadership with the support of 51% delegates on the fourth ballot of the convention.
Liberal leader and Prime Minister Lester Pearson announced on December 14, 1967, that he would be retiring in April 1968. Pearson had been Liberal leader since 1958 and Prime Minister since 1963. He was still much liked by the party and by the Canadian people in general, but he had failed in two attempts to win a majority government. The Liberals were also trailing in the polls behind the Progressive Conservatives, whose popular new leader Robert Stanfield had been selected in September 1967.
Long before the actual convention a vigorous leadership contest had begun. At the outset the leading candidates were believed to be Secretary of State for External Affairs Paul Martin, Minister of Transport Paul Hellyer, and Minister of Finance Mitchell Sharp. The unofficial Liberal Party tradition was to alternate between francophone and anglophone leaders, and Jean Marchand was considered a possible candidate. Martin was a highly respected veteran minister who had finished second to Pearson in the 1958 convention, and his ambitions to try again for the top job were well-known. Hellyer was a former Minister of National Defence who had unified the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force into the Canadian Forces.
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