Live coverage of the Liberal leadership convention

Follow live updates as the Liberal Party of Canada convenes in Toronto to select their next leader

The Globe is reporting live all day from the Ontario Liberal leadership convention in Toronto, where delegates will pick a successor to Dalton McGuinty as party leader and Ontario’s new premier. For a primer on the race, read this. www.theglobeandmail.com

From The Globe are Karen Howlett, Adam Radwanski, Adrian Morrow, Chris Hannay and photojournalists Peter Power and Kevin Van Paassen.

The day begins with speeches from leadership candidates at 9 a.m. ET. in this order:
- Harinder Takhar, Mississauga-Erindale MPP
- Gerard Kennedy, former Parkdale-High Park MPP (in Toronto)
- Kathleen Wynne, Don Valley West MPP (in Toronto)
- Charles Sousa, Mississauga South MPP
- Sandra Pupatello, former Windsor West MPP
- Eric Hoskins, St. Paul’s MPP (in Toronto)

The results of the first ballot will be announced after speeches (voting took place yesterday), and voting on the second ballot will begin at about 12:30 p.m. ET. One candidate will be eliminated on each ballot until someone has more than 50 per cent of support.

by Chris Hannay 1/26/2013 1:10:41 PM
by Chris Hannay 1/26/2013 1:15:45 PM
Arrived at the Liberal leadership convention to find a protest of about 300 public sector union members outside, shouting at delegates

by Adrian Morrow via twitter 1/26/2013 1:36:53 PM
Harinder Takhar supporters gathered at the foot of the escalator in the main foyer chanting "Ha-rin-der!" #onpoli

by Adrian Morrow via twitter 1/26/2013 1:38:26 PM
Greg Sorbara is up now, warming up the crowd for former premier and federal leader Bob Rae.

by Adrian Morrow via twitter 1/26/2013 1:39:08 PM
As much of a prediction as I'll make at start of crazy day: If both Sousa and Takhar go to Pupatello, she wins. If one doesn't, she loses.

by Adam Radwanski via twitter 1/26/2013 1:39:34 PM
"Harris, Harper, Hudak," Bob Rae says. "Our job is to remind people of the hardship that party brought to the province of Ontario."

by Adrian Morrow via twitter 1/26/2013 1:42:11 PM
"The ideology of the right is causing great hardship to the province" says Bob Rae at #olpldr convention

by Karen Howlett via twitter 1/26/2013 1:42:37 PM
Interim federal Liberal leader Bob Rae is the warm up act at the #olpldr convention #onpoli

by Karen Howlett via twitter 1/26/2013 1:43:58 PM
"Let us remember the power of passion and the power of vision" says Bob Rae in trotting out Harris legacy. #onpoli #olpldr

by Karen Howlett via twitter 1/26/2013 1:44:59 PM
"There was so much rebuilding to do" says Bob Rae #olpldr #onpoli

by Karen Howlett via twitter 1/26/2013 1:45:38 PM
The Tories "not only cancelled subway lines, but filled them up with cement," Bob Rae gets his plug for the Eglinton line in. #onpoli

by Adrian Morrow via twitter 1/26/2013 1:45:41 PM
Fed finance minister Jim Flaherty "was part of the team" that left Ontario with a deficit of $5-billion in 2003 says Bob Rae#onpoli #olpldr

by Karen Howlett via twitter 1/26/2013 1:47:13 PM
RT @TheAgenda: The Globe and Mail's @aradwanski talks to TVO's @spaikin about the state of the #OLPldr race: http://ww3.tvo.org/video/187577/adam-radwanski-ontarios-liberal-future #onpoli

by Adam Radwanski via twitter 1/26/2013 1:48:22 PM
"We know what it's like to go to a delegated convention. You never know what's going to happen" says Bob Rae #olpldr #onpoli

by Karen Howlett via twitter 1/26/2013 1:51:08 PM
Ottawa Centre MPP Yasir Naqvi, president of the Ontario Liberals, is speaking now.

by Chris Hannay 1/26/2013 1:54:21 PM
In the interest of not completing overwhelming your Twitter feed, I'll be liveblogging the #olpldr speeches over here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/live-coverage-ontario-liberals-choose-their-next-leader/article7894398/

by Adam Radwanski via twitter 1/26/2013 2:02:02 PM
It needs to be said again: This is a very strange time for candidates' speeches. They really should've happened on Friday night, but the McGuinty tribute was then instead.

by Adam Radwanski 1/26/2013 2:03:30 PM
This 9:00 a.m. slot Harinder Takhar got is completely brutal.

by Adam Radwanski 1/26/2013 2:03:51 PM
.@Kathleen_Wynne's team is waving "Ready to Govern" placards - a reminder that chief rival @SandraPupatello does not have a seat #olpldr

by Karen Howlett via twitter 1/26/2013 2:03:59 PM
That would be the second time, by my count, we've heard "Takin' Care of Business" this weekend. Makes some sense for Takhar, who's running on the most fiscally conservative platform of the candidates.

by Adam Radwanski 1/26/2013 2:05:22 PM
The first candidate presentation is from Harinder Takhar. It opens with video interviews of his family telling his life story. #onpoli

by Adrian Morrow via twitter 1/26/2013 2:06:18 PM
Hard to hear Takhar's video over chatter from the Kennedy delegates behind the press tables. Shhhh...You guys are supposed to be sucking up!

by Adam Radwanski 1/26/2013 2:06:25 PM
Several campaigns are decked out in new logos: Kennedy's delegates are in blue ("the blue wave!") and Pupatello's have a new logo.

by Adrian Morrow via twitter 1/26/2013 2:07:19 PM
Kennedy was campaigning late last night: around midnight, he emailed delegates in rival camps about the Forum poll #onpoli

by Adrian Morrow via twitter 1/26/2013 2:08:20 PM
I can't decide if the shot of Takhar with his mother in her long-term care home, just shown in his video, was moving or exploitative. Maybe a bit of both.

by Adam Radwanski 1/26/2013 2:08:45 PM
(Forum's numbers suggested Kennedy would do better against Hudak and Howath than the other candidates. They showed NDP in the lead.)

by Adrian Morrow via twitter 1/26/2013 2:09:05 PM
At the #olpldr convention today. Candidate speeches have just started. Follow our live blog: http://bit.ly/14gFld8 #cdnpoli

by Chris Hannay via twitter 1/26/2013 2:09:20 PM
Takhar's theme song? "Taking Care of Business" accompanied by shots of him operating a backhoe.

by Adrian Morrow via twitter 1/26/2013 2:10:29 PM
.@harindertakhar gets up and close and personal with a glimpse of his family life in video to strains of "Taking Care of Business"

by Karen Howlett via twitter 1/26/2013 2:10:43 PM
Bonnie Crombie is next to Takhar as he takes the stage. She's a big deal in Mississauga politics, which both his and Sousa's candidacies are confusingly tied into.

by Adam Radwanski 1/26/2013 2:11:47 PM
Takhar opens by saying he wishes his father, who died a few years ago of Parkinson's, were here to see this.

by Adam Radwanski 1/26/2013 2:12:16 PM
Bob Rae, first speech of the day. (Peter Power)

by Chris Hannay 1/26/2013 2:13:31 PM
Campaigners outside Maple Leaf Gardens, site of the convention. (Peter Power)

by Chris Hannay 1/26/2013 2:14:14 PM
Takhar's delivery still isn't great, but like other candidates he's clearly benefited from experience of campaigning past couple months.

by Adam Radwanski via twitter 1/26/2013 2:14:22 PM
Interesting bit from Takhar about coming to Canada still wearing a turban, and finding it hard to find a job; being told that he would have an easier time if he ditched it. Says he made the tough decision to cut his hair and remove the turban.

by Adam Radwanski 1/26/2013 2:15:30 PM
I'm not sure that was supposed to be an applause line, GK supporters.

by Adam Radwanski 1/26/2013 2:15:49 PM
Takhar describing how he had to cut his hair and remove turban to find work in Canada. "I lost a part of myself forever."

by Adrian Morrow via twitter 1/26/2013 2:16:07 PM
"But as I look around today, I see the diversity of this province. And that's what makes us proud Liberals,'

by Adrian Morrow via twitter 1/26/2013 2:16:41 PM
From a walk around, lots of chatter in most other candidates' camps. A little surprised - though they'd all be sucking up to Takhar.

by Adam Radwanski via twitter 1/26/2013 2:21:33 PM
.@harindertakhar lists off his policy ideas, including improving skills training, then segues into his personal story, talks about family

by Adrian Morrow via twitter 1/26/2013 2:21:59 PM
The first half of Takhar's speech, about his life story, was a little more gripping at this hour than this back-half rundown of his platform.

by Adam Radwanski 1/26/2013 2:24:38 PM
Better than Saturday morning cartoons! Live video and liveblog of the convention: http://tiny.cc/wjvirw @globeandmail #onpoli

by Adrian Morrow via twitter 1/26/2013 2:24:46 PM
That said, the guy has a more detailed agenda than any of the other candidates, so can't really fault him for talking about it.

by Adam Radwanski 1/26/2013 2:25:05 PM
Harinder Takhar. (Peter Power)

by Chris Hannay 1/26/2013 2:25:40 PM

Live coverage of the Liberal leadership convention

Follow live updates as the Liberal Party of Canada convenes in Toronto to select their next leader

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