From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
1995 New Democratic Party leadership election
Party election in Canada
Party election in Canada
| Field | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| election_name | 1995 New Democratic Party leadership election | |
| country | Canada | |
| type | presidential | |
| ongoing | no | |
| previous_election | 1989 New Democratic Party leadership election | |
| previous_year | 1989 | |
| next_election | 2003 New Democratic Party leadership election | |
| next_year | 2003 | |
| election_date | October 12 – 15, 1995 | |
| 1blank | Second ballot vote | |
| 2blank | First ballot vote | |
| image1 | [[File:Alexa McDonough cropped.jpg | x150px]] |
| color1 | 4A82CB | |
| candidate1 | **Alexa McDonough** | |
| 1data1 | ***Acclaimed*** | |
| 2data1 | 566 | |
| (32.62%) | ||
| image2 | [[File:Svend Robinson.jpg | x150px]] |
| color2 | 76BA22 | |
| candidate2 | Svend Robinson | |
| 1data2 | *Withdrew* | |
| 2data2 | 655 | |
| (37.75%) | ||
| image3 | [[File:Lorne Nystrom (2012).jpg | x150px]] |
| color3 | A75DD8 | |
| candidate3 | Lorne Nystrom | |
| 1data3 | *Eliminated* | |
| 2data3 | 545 | |
| (31.41%) | ||
| title | Leader | |
| before_election | Audrey McLaughlin | |
| after_election | Alexa McDonough |
(32.62%) (37.75%) (31.41%)
From October 12–15, 1995, the New Democratic Party held a leadership election to elect a successor to Audrey McLaughlin. Although Svend Robinson led on the first ballot, he conceded the leadership to Alexa McDonough, who was appointed by a motion put forward by Robinson. This was the last NDP leadership convention that was decided solely by delegates attending and voting at the convention.
Background
As the fortunes of the Nova Scotia NDP were slowly rising during the mid-1990s, the same could not be said of its federal counterpart as the 1993 Canadian federal election was an unmitigated disaster for the NDP.{{Cite news
Primaries
To make it on the convention ballot, a leadership candidate had to win one of the primaries held throughout the country ahead of the convention. A candidate could also make it on the ballot if a 25% national vote threshold was reached. Herschel Hardin was the only candidate who failed to win a primary and he was thus excluded from the convention ballot. Nystrom won the primary, with 44%, well ahead of Robinson and McDonough.
Quebec Primary{{Cite news
| Candidate | Percentage |
|---|---|
| **Svend Robinson** | **44.94%** |
| Lorne Nystrom | 34.82% |
| Alexa McDonough | 10.12% |
| Herschel Hardin | 10.12% |
| Total | 243 |
Atlantic Primary{{Cite news
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| **Alexa McDonough** | **870** | **68.50%** |
| Svend Robinson | 268 | 21.10% |
| Lorne Nystrom | 92 | 7.24% |
| Herschel Hardin | 40 | 3.15% |
| Total | 1270 | 100% |
Ontario Primary{{Cite news
| Candidate | Percentage |
|---|---|
| **Svend Robinson** | **43.67%** |
| Lorne Nystrom | 26.17% |
| Alexa McDonough | 22.87% |
| Herschel Hardin | 7.29% |
| Total Votes | 4,592 |
BC/North Primary{{Cite news
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| **Svend Robinson** | **2640** | **50.80%** |
| Lorne Nystrom | 1524 | 29.32% |
| Alexa McDonough | 625 | 12.03% |
| Herschel Hardin | 408 | 7.85% |
| Total | 5,197 | 100% |
Prairies Primary
| Candidate | Percentage |
|---|---|
| **Lorne Nystrom** | **71.86%** |
| Svend Robinson | 18.07% |
| Alexa McDonough | 5.60% |
| Herschel Hardin | 4.47% |
| Total | 100% |
Labour Primary
| Candidate | Percentage |
|---|---|
| **Lorne Nystrom** | **38.02%** |
| Svend Robinson | 32.32% |
| Alexa McDonough | 28.46% |
| Herschel Hardin | 1.20% |
| Total | 100% |
Primaries - Total
| Candidate | Percentage |
|---|---|
| **Lorne Nystrom** | **44.69%** |
| Svend Robinson | 32.06% |
| Alexa McDonough | 18.47% |
| Herschel Hardin | 4.78% |
| Total | 100% |
Leadership ballot
First Ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| **Svend Robinson** | **655** | **37.8%** |
| Alexa McDonough | 566 | 32.6% |
| Lorne Nystrom | 545 | 31.5% |
| Total | 1,735 | 100% |
Prior to the NDP leadership convention on October 14, 1995, McDonough was widely viewed as an also-ran behind the leading contenders, Svend Robinson and Lorne Nystrom.{{cite news Although Robinson had placed first on that ballot, with 655 votes, Nystrom supporters seemed likely to support a tacit "anyone but Svend" sentiment and to shift to McDonough. Robinson's political position was seen as considerably more on the activist left side of the party than Nystrom's or McDonough's.{{Cite news
Aftermath
Robinson's move helped to unify the party and shake his image as a lone wolf. After the vote, Robinson met with about 200 of his supporters, who were shocked, and in some cases, outraged at what he did.
In the 1997 election, McDonough's first as leader, the party won 21 seats, including a historic breakthrough in the Atlantic provinces. McDonough was elected as the Member of Parliament for the federal riding of Halifax, the same riding in which she ran unsuccessfully in 1979 and 1980. She would win Halifax three more times until she retired from politics in 2008, and the party did not lose official party status during her leadership.
Notes
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about 1995 New Democratic Party leadership election — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report