Liberal Leadership Campaign
Fontaine rejoined the Manitoba Liberal Party after the FPP's dissolution, and became a candidate for the party's leadership in 1998 following the resignation of Ginny Hasselfield. He was 42 years old at the time. His candidacy was organized by Ernie Gilroy, and won support from figures such as Terry Duguid and Graham Dixon. Fontaine emphasized that he was not a protest candidate, and his campaign did not focus exclusively on aboriginal issues. Initially regarded as the frontrunner, he lost to former Member of Parliament Jon Gerrard by 1336 votes to 832 in a mail-in ballot open to all party members. He was not a candidate in the 1999 provincial election.
Read more about this topic: Jerry Fontaine
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