# Liberal Party of Canada candidates in the 2006 Canadian federal election
In the 39th Canadian general election, held Monday, January 23, 2006, the [Liberal Party of Canada](https://www.edgepedia.org/liberal-party-of-canada) fielded 308 confirmed candidates, one in each of the country's 308 electoral districts.[1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en/election-candidates?electionEventId=1497038) • [2](https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?dir=pas%2F39ge%2Floc&document=index&lang=e§ion=ele) The party, led by Prime Minister Paul Martin, had governed for more than twelve consecutive years, but the election followed the loss of a confidence vote in the House of Commons on 28 November 2005, by a margin of 171 votes to 133.[3](https://data.ipu.org/election-summary/HTML/2055_06.htm) The Liberals won 30.2 percent of the popular vote nationally and lost the election to [Stephen Harper](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-harper)'s Conservative Party.[4](https://www.nanos.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2019-Nanos-Election-Track-Record.pdf) • [5](https://www.stephentaylor.ca/data/political/canada/federal/election/2006/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Election | 39th general election, Monday, January 23, 2006[2](https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?dir=pas%2F39ge%2Floc&document=index&lang=e§ion=ele) |
| Liberal candidates | 308, one in every electoral district[1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en/election-candidates?electionEventId=1497038) |
| Party leader | Paul Martin, who sought re-election in LaSalle-Émard[6](https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Home/Record?IdNumber=4120145&app=fonandcol) |
| Popular vote | 30.2 percent nationally[4](https://www.nanos.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2019-Nanos-Election-Track-Record.pdf) |
| Outcome | Defeat by the Conservative Party after more than twelve consecutive years of Liberal government[5](https://www.stephentaylor.ca/data/political/canada/federal/election/2006/) |
| Aftermath | Martin announced he would not lead the party into another election; Stéphane Dion won the December 2006 leadership convention with nearly 55 percent of the convention[7](https://images.cpac.ca/articles/conventions/2006-liberal) |
## Context of the campaign
The election was called after months of political instability culminated in the defeat of Martin's minority Liberal government on a confidence motion in late November 2005.[3](https://data.ipu.org/election-summary/HTML/2055_06.htm) During the campaign the Liberal Party was hampered by fresh allegations, this time of insider trading, which the Conservative Party incorporated into its television advertising.[3](https://data.ipu.org/election-summary/HTML/2055_06.htm) A January 2006 Ipsos-Reid poll taken near the end of the campaign found that 65 percent of Canadian voters believed Martin should resign as party leader if the Conservatives won a minority government with the Liberals in a distant second place.[8](https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/publication/2006-01/011806-1.pdf)
## The candidate slate
Elections Canada published a final list of confirmed candidates in each of the 308 electoral districts before election day.[2](https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?dir=pas%2F39ge%2Floc&document=index&lang=e§ion=ele) The House of Commons candidate database records 308 Liberal candidates, matching the Green Party total and one fewer than the Conservatives, who ran 309.[1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en/election-candidates?electionEventId=1497038)
**Leader's seat.** [Paul Martin](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-martin) easily won his riding of LaSalle-Émard for the sixth straight time, taking 48.41 percent of the vote; the party around him did not fare as well, losing power after four elections and more than twelve consecutive years in office.[6](https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Home/Record?IdNumber=4120145&app=fonandcol)
**Alberta examples.** The candidate list illustrates the party's weakness in Conservative-dominated Alberta, where every Liberal candidate in the Calgary-area ridings was defeated: Heesung Kim in Calgary Centre, Matthew Moody in Calgary Centre-North, Dobie To in Calgary East, Jaswinder S. Johal in Calgary Northeast, James Ludwar in Calgary Southeast, Mike Swanson in Calgary Southwest, and Jennifer Pollock in Calgary West.[1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en/election-candidates?electionEventId=1497038) In each of these ridings the Conservative incumbent was re-elected.[1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en/election-candidates?electionEventId=1497038)
## Result and aftermath
The Conservatives won 124 seats with 36.3 percent of the popular vote, a gain of 25 seats from 2004, forming what was at the time the smallest minority government in Canadian history as a share of the House.[5](https://www.stephentaylor.ca/data/political/canada/federal/election/2006/) The outcome was widely read as a rebuke of a Liberal government perceived as tired and plagued by corruption.[9](https://minns.ca/owen/item/election-canada-2006.shtml)
Eight candidates contested the leadership, and at the convention that began on November 28, 2006, four candidates enjoyed double-digit delegate support: [Michael Ignatieff](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-ignatieff) led the first ballot with 31 percent, followed by [Bob Rae](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-rae) at 19 percent, [Stéphane Dion](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephane-dion) at 18 percent, and Gerard Kennedy at 17 percent.[10](https://www.cpsa-acsp.ca/papers-2008/Farnsworth.pdf) Dion, who had entered the convention well behind the front-runner in pledged delegates, emerged victorious on later ballots with nearly 55 percent of the convention.[7](https://images.cpac.ca/articles/conventions/2006-liberal) • [10](https://www.cpsa-acsp.ca/papers-2008/Farnsworth.pdf)
## References
1. [Election Candidates, 39th General Election, House of Commons of Canada](https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en/election-candidates?electionEventId=1497038)
2. [Final List of Confirmed Candidates, 39th General Election, Elections Canada](https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?dir=pas%2F39ge%2Floc&document=index&lang=e§ion=ele)
3. [IPU Parline database: Canada, Elections in 2006](https://data.ipu.org/election-summary/HTML/2055_06.htm)
4. [Nanos Research election track record](https://www.nanos.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2019-Nanos-Election-Track-Record.pdf)
5. [2006 Federal Election Results, Stephen Taylor](https://www.stephentaylor.ca/data/political/canada/federal/election/2006/)
6. [2006 Election Campaign, Library and Archives Canada](https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Home/Record?IdNumber=4120145&app=fonandcol)
7. [2006 Liberal Leadership, CPAC](https://images.cpac.ca/articles/conventions/2006-liberal)
8. [Ipsos-Reid: Paul Martin's Future, January 2006](https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/publication/2006-01/011806-1.pdf)
9. [Owen Minns, Canadian Federal General Election 2006](https://minns.ca/owen/item/election-canada-2006.shtml)
10. [Farnsworth, Lichter and Schatz, CBC News Coverage of Canada's 2006 Liberal Party Leadership Candidates, CPSA 2008](https://www.cpsa-acsp.ca/papers-2008/Farnsworth.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Politics and government › Elections and representation › Elections and referendums › Election campaign companions and indexes › Candidate lists, endorsements, and results breakdowns › Canadian election candidate lists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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