2007 Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership election

{{Infobox election

| election_name = 2007 Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership election

| country = Nova Scotia

| type = presidential

| ongoing = no

| opinion_polls =

| previous_election = 2004 Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership election

| previous_year = 2004

| next_election = 2021 Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership election

| next_year = 2021

| turnout = 1,397

| election_date = April 27, 2007

| 1blank = Riding

| 2blank = Second ballot

| 3blank = First ballot

| title = Leader

| posttitle =

| before_election = Michel Samson (interim)

| after_election = Stephen McNeil

| image1 = Stephen Mcneil campaign vertical.jpg

| image1_size = 180x180px

| colour1 = {{Canadian party colour|NS|Liberal|nohash}}

| candidate1 = Stephen McNeil

| 1data1 = Annapolis

| 2data1 = 718
(52.5%)

| 3data1 = 571
(40.9%)

| image2 = Nova Scotia Liberal Diana Whalen 2.JPG

| image2_size = 180x180px

| colour2 = {{Canadian party colour|NS|Liberal|nohash}}

| candidate2 = Diana Whalen

| 1data2 = Halifax-Clayton Park

| 2data2 = 650
(47.5%)

| 3data2 = 402
(28.8%)

| image4 = Nova Scotia Liberal Mike Smith 2.JPG

| image4_size = 180x180px

| colour4 = {{Canadian party colour|NS|Liberal|nohash}}

| candidate4 = Mike Smith

| 1data4 = N/A{{efn|Mayor of Colchester County.}}

| 2data4 = Withdrew

| 3data4 = 255
(18.3%)

| map_image =

| map_caption =

| image5 = Nova Scotia Liberal Kenzie McKinnon 1.JPG

| image5_size = 180x180px

| colour5 = {{Canadian party colour|NS|Liberal|nohash}}

| candidate5 = Kenzie MacKinnon

| 1data5 = N/A{{efn|Former candidate in Halifax Chebucto.}}

| 2data5 = Eliminated

| 3data5 = 169
(12.1%)

}}

{{Infobox leadership election

| colour = {{Canadian party colour|NS|Liberal}}

| party = Nova Scotia Liberal Party

| year = 2007

| logo =

| date = April 27, 2007

| location = Dartmouth Sportsplex, Dartmouth

| replaces = Francis MacKenzie

| winner = Stephen McNeil

| ballots = 1,397

| numcands =

| entryfee =

| spendcap =

}}

The 2007 Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership election was held on April 27, 2007 at the Dartmouth Sportsplex, following the resignation of Francis MacKenzie, shortly after failing to win a seat in the 2006 election. This was the third leadership convention for the Liberals since 2002. In addition to the leadership convention, the party will hold its Annual General Meeting including the election of officers, adoption of policies, and potential constitutional amendments. It was won by Annapolis MLA Stephen McNeil.

The party had held government for much of the province's history, having been in power from Canadian Confederation in 1867 to 1878, 1882 to 1925, 1933 to 1956, 1970 to 1978, and 1993 to 1999. However, the party had been relegated to third party status after it lost the 1999 election.

Timeline

=2006=

June 20: Michel Samson is selected as interim leader.

=2007=

January 10: Mike Smith, the mayor of Colchester County, becomes the first registered candidate, launching his campaign in Truro.
January 12: Interim leader Michel Samson announces that he will not run for party leadership.{{cite news | title = Samson stays out of Grit leadership race | url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/samson-stays-out-of-grit-leadership-race-1.676822 | publisher = CBC News | date = January 12, 2007 | accessdate = 2014-03-20}}
January 18: Halifax-Clayton Park MLA Diana Whalen becomes the second and highest profile candidate in the race, launching her campaign in Halifax.
January 19: Kenzie MacKinnon announces that he will enter the leadership race.
January 30: Annapolis MLA Stephen McNeil becomes the second MLA to enter the race; he is the first to have endorsements from current MLAs.
April 28: Stephen McNeil elected leader.{{cite news| url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/mcneil-new-n-s-liberal-leader-1.689242 | publisher=CBC News | title=McNeil new N.S. Liberal leader | date=April 28, 2007 | accessdate= 2014-03-20}}

Rules

The new leader was chosen by a full delegated convention, the first in the party since 1986. The leader was elected using a one member, one vote system, which has been used since 1992. The party issued a [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929152212/http://www.liberal.ns.ca/images/4/pdf/2007LeadershipConventionRules.pdf 78 page document], outlining the rules, on January 15, 2007.{{Cite web |url=http://www.liberal.ns.ca/default.asp?mn=1.6&sfield=content.id&search=2206 |title = Nova Scotia Liberal Party - News |access-date=2007-01-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070501004406/http://www.liberal.ns.ca/default.asp?mn=1.6&sfield=content.id&search=2206 |archive-date=2007-05-01 |url-status=dead }}

Candidates

Image:Nova Scotia Liberal Mike Smith 2.JPG

Image:Nova Scotia Liberal Diana Whalen 2.JPG

Image:Nova Scotia Liberal Kenzie McKinnon 1.JPG

Image:Stephen Mcneil campaign horizontal.jpg

Kenzie MacKinnon, lawyer and three-time Liberal candidate {{cite news| url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/lawyer-mackinnon-joins-race-for-n-s-liberal-leader-1.673460 | publisher=CBC News | title=Lawyer MacKinnon joins race for N.S. Liberal leader | date=January 19, 2007 | accessdate= 2014-03-20}}
Stephen McNeil, MLA for Annapolis {{cite news| url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/mla-mcneil-launches-grit-leadership-bid-1.666534 | publisher=CBC News | title=MLA McNeil launches Grit leadership bid | date=January 30, 2007 | accessdate= 2014-03-20}}
Mike Smith, mayor of Colchester County{{cite news| url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/mike-smith-launches-liberal-leadership-bid-1.643383 | publisher=CBC News | title=Mike Smith launches Liberal leadership bid | date=January 10, 2007| accessdate= 2014-03-20}}
Diana Whalen, MLA for Halifax-Clayton Park {{cite news| url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/whalen-launches-grit-leadership-bid-1.672052 | publisher=CBC News | title=Whalen launches Grit leadership bid | date=January 18, 2007 | accessdate= 2014-03-20}}

Various members of the party announced that they would not seek the leadership. Among them were interim leader Michel Samson, Dartmouth physician John Gillis,[http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/553896.html Nova Scotia News - TheChronicleHerald.ca] and Liberal MPs Geoff Regan, Scott Brison, and Michael Savage.

=Endorsements=

The following is a list of high-profile endorsers for each of the candidates; the list includes MLAs, MPs, and Senators, as well as former MLAs, Premiers, and Lieutenant-Governors.

==MacKinnon (3)==

Mary Clancy, former MP for Halifax
Allan J. MacEachen, former MP and Deputy Prime Minister
Russell MacLellan, former Premier of Nova Scotia

==McNeil (9)==

Jim Cowan, Senator
Kirk Cox, former candidate, Shelburne
Rodger Cuzner, Liberal MP for Cape Breton—Canso[http://www.stephenmcneil.com/media7.htm Nova Scotia Liberal Party]{{Dead link|date=April 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
Don Downe, former MLA, Lunenburg West
Wayne Gaudet, MLA for Clare
Leo Glavine, MLA for Kings West
Jim Smith, former MLA, Dartmouth East
Harold Theriault, MLA for Digby-Annapolis
Robert Thibault, Liberal MP for West Nova

==Smith (13)==

Aldric d'Entremont, Warden, Municipality of Argyle
Lloyd Hines, Warden, Municipality of the District of Guysborough
Glenn Horne, President, St. F.X. Young Liberals
Dennis James, former President NS Young Liberals, Chief of Staff to Premier John Savage, Former Federal Candidate
Ed Kinley, former MLA for Halifax Citadel
Ed Lorraine, former MLA and provincial Minister of Agriculture
Kennie MacAskill, former MLA and provincial Minister of Natural Resources
Richie Mann, President of Dartmouth Cole Harbour, former MLA, former Minister of Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development
Duart McAuley, Warden, Municipality of the County of Inverness
Traci-Lyn McMenamon, VP Hants East Liberal Association
Eleanor Norrie, former MLA Truro-Bible Hill, former Minister of Natural Resources, Housing and Consumer Affairs, and Status of Women
Lorraine Sheppard, Cape Breton South, past member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party Management Committee
Gordon Thompson, President, Yarmouth Liberal Association
Floyd Tucker, former MLA for Colchester North

==Whalen (9)==

Alan Abraham, former Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia
Wayne Adams, former Liberal MLA
Carolyn Bennett, Liberal MP for Toronto riding of St. Paul's
Bernie Boudreau, former MLA and Senator
Scott Brison, Liberal MP for Kings—Hants
Garnet Brown, former Liberal MLA
Keith Colwell, MLA for Preston
Jane Cordy, Senator
Geoff Regan, Liberal MP for Halifax West
Dave Wilson, MLA for Glace Bay

==Caucus members who did not endorse a candidate==

Manning MacDonald, MLA for Cape Breton South
Michel Samson, MLA for Richmond, was the interim leader and remained neutral in the leadership race.

Results

Image:Mcneil-acceptance-speech-28-April-2007.jpg

class="wikitable" \|+ Results by ballot
rowspan="2" colspan="2" \| Candidate ! colspan="2" \| 1st ballot ! colspan="2" \| 2nd ballot
Votes cast ! % ! Votes cast ! %
style="background:lightgreen;" \| 50px \| Stephen McNeil \|align="right"\| 571 \|align="right"\| 40.9% \|align="right"\| 718 \|align="right"\| 52.5%
50px \| Diana Whalen \|align="right"\| 402 \|align="right"\| 28.8% \|align="right"\| 650 \|align="right"\| 47.5%
50px \| Mike Smith \|align="right"\| 255 \|align="right"\| 18.3% \| style="text-align:center; background:pink;" colspan="2" \| Withdrew (Endorsed Whalen)
50px \| Kenzie MacKinnon \|align="right"\| 169 \|align="right"\| 12.1% \| style="text-align:center; background:pink;" colspan="2" \| Eliminated (Endorsed Whalen)
colspan="2" \|Total !align="right"\| 1,397 !align="right"\| 100.0% !align="right"\| 1,368 !align="right"\| 100.0%

class="wikitable"

|+ Results by ballot

rowspan="2" colspan="2" | Candidate

! colspan="2" | 1st ballot

! colspan="2" | 2nd ballot

Votes cast

! %

! Votes cast

! %

style="background:lightgreen;"

| 50px

| Stephen McNeil