1990 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

Candidates

• Sheila Copps, 37, Member of Parliament for Hamilton East since 1984 and was the Opposition Critic for the Environment and Social Policy. She had been a Member of Provincial Parliament in Ontario from 1981 to 1984 before entering federal politics and had run for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party, placing second.
• Jean Chrétien, 56, had placed second to Turner at the 1984 Liberal leadership convention. He had been MP for Saint-Maurice, Quebec from 1963 until 1986 and had served as a junior cabinet minister under Lester Pearson and had several senior portfolios under Pierre Trudeau including Industry Minister, Finance Minister, Energy Minister, and Justice Minister and was the minister responsible for constitutional negotiations from 1980 to 1982 when the Constitution of Canada was patriated and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms negotiated and ratified. He served as Minister of External Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister under Turner's short-lived government.

• Paul Martin, 51, MP for LaSalle—Émard, Quebec since 1988 and was the Opposition Critic for Treasury Board, Housing, and Urban Affairs; former president and CEO of Canada Steamship Lines.

• John Nunziata, 35, MP for York South—Weston, Toronto, since 1984, and was Opposition Critic for the Solicitor General.

• Tom Wappel, 40, MP for Scarborough West since 1988, was the Associate Opposition Critic for Immigration. An anti-abortion campaigner, he was supported by the Campaign Life Coalition.

Withdrew

• Clifford Lincoln, 61, had been Quebec Minister of the Environment in the provincial Liberal government of Robert Bourassa until resigning due to a dispute over language policy. He announced his candidacy for the federal Liberal leadership but withdrew after he was defeated in his attempt to win a seat in the House of Commons in the February 12, 1990 Chambly by-election.

  Declined to run

• Herb Gray, 59, MP for Windsor West since 1968. He ultimately decided against running, but served as the party's parliamentary leader from February until December 1990, when Chrétien won a by-election and entered parliament.

  Results