1984 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

Party election in Canada

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1984 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

* * *

| ← 1968
~~1980~~ | June 16, 1984 | 1990 →

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|   |  |

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Candidate  | John Turner | Jean Chrétien
Second ballot delegate count | 1,862
(53.9%) | 1,398
(40.5%)
First ballot delegate count | 1,539
(46.3%) | 1,067
(31.0%)

* * *

|  |  LIB
Candidate  | Don Johnston | John Roberts
Second ballot delegate count | 192
(5.6%)  | Withdrew
First ballot delegate count | 278
(8.1%)  | 185
(5.4%)

* * *

| Leader before election

Pierre Trudeau

| Elected Leader

John Turner

|

1984 Liberal leadership electionDate| June 16, 1984

|

Convention| Ottawa Civic Centre
Resigning leader| Pierre Trudeau
Won by| John Turner
Ballots| 2
Candidates| 7
Liberal leadership elections
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The Liberal Party of Canada held a leadership election on June 16, 1984, to replace retiring Liberal leader and sitting prime minister Pierre Trudeau. The convention elected former finance minister John Turner, who at the time was not sitting in the House of Commons, as its leader on the second ballot, defeating another former finance minister, Jean Chrétien.

## Candidates

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### Declared

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#### Jean Chrétien

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Jean Chrétien, 50, MP for Saint-Maurice since 1963, was minister of energy and had been minister of justice responsible for constitutional negotiations, playing a significant role in the patriation of the Constitution of Canada. First appointed to Cabinet by Lester Pearson in 1967, he had served in several senior portfolios under Trudeau, including minister of finance.

* Supporters in caucus (6 MPs): Charles Caccia (Davenport), Roland de Corneille (Eglinton—Lawrence), Bud Cullen (Sarnia—Lambton), David Collenette (York East), Jean-Robert Gauthier (Ottawa—Vanier), Roméo LeBlanc (Westmorland—Kent)[1]

#### Don Johnston

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Don Johnston, 47, MP for Saint-Henri—Westmount in Montreal since 1978, was president of the treasury board, and had served in several other economic portfolios.

* Supporters in caucus (4 MPs, 1 Senator): Jack Burghardt (London West), James Fleming (York West), Bryce Mackasey (Lincoln), Raymond Savard (Verdun), Senator Gildas Molgat (Manitoba).

#### Mark MacGuigan

[edit]

Mark MacGuigan, 53, MP from Windsor-Walkerville since 1968 and a former dean of law, was the minister of justice and a former minister of external affairs.

#### John Munro

[edit]

John Munro, 53, an MP for Hamilton East since 1962, was minister of Indian affairs and northern development.

#### John Roberts

[edit]

John Roberts, 48, MP for St. Paul's, was minister of employment and immigration.

#### John Turner

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John Turner, 55, former MP for Ottawa-Orleans (1968–1976) and previously for St. Lawrence—St. George, Quebec (1962–1968), had served in Cabinet under Lester Pearson and Trudeau and had been minister of justice and minister of finance until resigning from cabinet in 1975 over a policy dispute over wage and price freezes.[2] Since then, he had been a corporate lawyer on Bay Street until his return to politics in 1984. Turner had run for the leadership previously in 1968, placing third on the final ballot.

Supporters in caucus

* Lloyd Axworthy (Winnipeg South Centre)
* Judy Erola (Nickel Belt)
* Bob Kaplan (York Centre)
* Ed Lumley (Stormont—Dundas)
* André Ouellet (Papineau)
* Jean-Luc Pépin (Ottawa—Carleton)
* Gerald Regan (Halifax)

#### Eugene Whelan

[edit]

Eugene Whelan, 59, MP for Essex-Windsor since 1962, has been minister of agriculture from 1972 to 1979, when the Liberals lost power, and again since 1980.

## Results

[edit]

First ballot
TURNER, John Napier 1,593 (46%)
CHRÉTIEN, Joseph Jacques Jean 1,067 (31%)
JOHNSTON, Donald James 278 (8%)
ROBERTS, John (Moody) 185
MACGUIGAN, Mark R. 135
MUNRO, John Carr 93
WHELAN, Eugene Francis 84
Spoiled ballots 2
Total votes cast 3,437

Whelan eliminated, supports Chrétien. MacGuigan withdraws and supports Turner. Munro and Roberts withdraw and support Chrétien.

Second ballot
TURNER, John Napier 1,862 (54%)
CHRÉTIEN, Joseph Jacques Jean 1,398 (40%)
JOHNSTON, Donald James 192 (6%)
Spoiled ballots 1
Total votes cast 3,453

| First ballot

|  |
Turner |

| 46.35%
Chrétien |

| 31.04%
Johnston |

| 8.09%
Roberts |

| 5.38%
MacGuigan |

| 3.93%
Munro |

| 2.71%
Whelan |

| 2.44%
Spoilt ballots |

| 0.06%

| Second ballot

|  |
Turner |

| 53.92%
Chrétien |

| 40.49%
Johnston |

| 5.56%
Spoilt ballots |

| 0.03%

* v
* t
* e

Liberal Party of Canada

National leaders|

| Leaders|

* Brown (unofficial)
* Blake (unofficial)
* Mackenzie
* Blake
* Laurier
* McKenzie (interim)
* King
* St. Laurent
* Pearson
* P. Trudeau
* Turner
* Chrétien
* Martin
* Graham (interim)
* Dion
* Ignatieff
* Rae (interim)
* J. Trudeau
* Carney

|

Deputy leaders|

* Gray
* Copps
* Robillard
* Ignatieff
* Goodale

Leadership elections|

* 1919
* 1948
* 1958
* 1968
* 1980 (cancelled)
* 1984
* 1990
* 2003
* 2006
* 2009
* 2013
* 2025
* endorsements

Cabinets|

| Governments|

* Mackenzie
* Laurier
* King I
* King II
* King III
* St. Laurent
* Pearson
* P. Trudeau I
* P. Trudeau II
* Turner
* Chrétien
* Martin
* J. Trudeau
* Carney

|

Shadow cabinets|

* Graham/Dion
* Dion/Ignatieff
* Rae/Trudeau

Parliamentary election
candidates|

* 1867
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Related parties|

| Current affiliates|

* Nova Scotia
* Prince Edward Island

|

Former affiliates|

* Alberta (until 1976)
* British Columbia (until 1987, changed name 2023)
* Manitoba
* New Brunswick (until 2017)
* Newfoundland and Labrador (until 2017)
* Ontario (until 1976)
* Quebec (until 1955)
* Saskatchewan (until 2009, changed name 2023)

Informal|

* Vancouver
* Yukon

Predecessors|

* History
* Clear Grits (c. 1850–58)
* Institut canadien de Montréal (1844–80)
* Parti canadien (c. 1800–38)
* Parti rouge (1848–61)
* Reformers (c. 1830–54)
* in Newfoundland
* North-West Territories (dissolved 1905)

Transitory factions|

* Liberal Protectionist
* Liberal-Progressive
* Liberal–Labour
* Laurier Liberals
* Liberal–Unionist

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Jeffrey, Brooke. (2010). Divided loyalties : the Liberal Party of Canada, 1984-2008. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 13\. ISBN 978-1-4426-6018-2. OCLC 762397337.
2. ^ "Beyond Politics - John Turner". YouTube. July 2, 2013. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2018.

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