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{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Wayne Lessard
| image =
| caption =
| office1 = [[Member of Provincial Parliament (Ontario)|Ontario MPP]]
| term_start1 = 1997
| term_end1 = 1999
| predecessor1 = [[Dave Cooke]]
| successor1 = ''Riding abolished''
| constituency1 = [[Windsor—Riverside]]
| term_start2 = 1990
| term_end2 = 1995
| predecessor2 = [[Mike Ray]]
| successor2 = [[Dwight Duncan]]
| constituency2 = [[Windsor—Walkerville (provincial electoral district)|Windsor—Walkerville]]
| party = [[Ontario New Democratic Party|New Democrat]]
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|1|12}}
| birth_place = [[Windsor, Ontario|Windsor]], [[Ontario]]
| residence =
| occupation = Lawyer
}}
'''Wayne Lessard''' (born January 12, 1956) is a former [[politician]] in Ontario, [[Canada]]. He was a [[New Democratic Party of Ontario|New Democratic Party]] [[Member of Provincial Parliament (Ontario)|Member of Provincial Parliament]] (MPP) from 1990 to 1995, and again from 1997 to 1999.

==Background==
Lessard was educated at the [[University of Windsor]], and worked as a barrister and solicitor. In 1986, he has operated a private law practice specializing in workplace safety, [[real estate]], criminal defence and other matters.<ref>{{cite news |title=NDP picks Lessard in Windsor-Walkerville |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=July 9, 1990 |page=A5}}</ref> He also served as an Assistant Crown Attorney and legal counsel for the Corporation of the City of Windsor.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dadamo tracing Wrye's route to Toronto |first=Blair |last=Crawford |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=October 3, 1990 |page=A5}}</ref>

==Politics==
He was elected to the [[Ontario legislature]] in the [[1990 Ontario general election|1990 provincial election]], defeating incumbent [[Ontario Liberal Party|Liberal]] [[Mike Ray]] by over 4,000 votes in the [[electoral district (Canada)|riding]] of [[Windsor—Walkerville (provincial electoral district)|Windsor—Walkerville]].<ref name="1990 results">{{cite news |title=Ontario election: Riding-by-riding voting results |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=September 7, 1990 |page=A12}}</ref> The NDP won its first majority government in this election. Lessard was appointed as [[parliamentary assistant]] from 1990 to 1995.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dadamo tracing Wrye's route to Toronto |first=Blair |last=Crawford |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=October 3, 1990 |page=A5}}</ref>

The NDP were defeated in the [[1995 Ontario general election|1995 provincial election]], and Lessard lost his seat to Liberal [[Dwight Duncan]] by 380 votes.<ref name="1995 results">{{cite web |url=http://results.elections.on.ca/results/1995_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=36&rec=0&district=windsor-walkerville&flag=E&layout=G |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215222728/https://results.elections.on.ca/results/1995_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=36&rec=0&district=Windsor-Walkerville&flag=E&layout=G |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 15, 2019 |title=Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=June 8, 1995 |accessdate=2014-03-02 }}</ref> He returned to the legislature two years later after winning a [[by-election]] in [[Windsor—Riverside]], called after the resignation of [[Dave Cooke]].<ref name="1997 results">{{cite web |url=http://results.elections.on.ca/results/1997ByElection/index.jsp?flag=E&layout=G |title=Summary of Valid Votes for Each Candidate |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=September 4, 1997 |accessdate=2014-03-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228002312/http://results.elections.on.ca/results/1997ByElection/index.jsp?flag=E&layout=G |archive-date=2014-02-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The province's electoral boundaries were radically altered between 1995 and 1999, and in the [[1999 Ontario general election|1999 provincial election]] Lessard was forced to face Dwight Duncan again in the new riding of [[Windsor—St. Clair]]. Despite having the support of the [[Canadian Auto Workers]], he lost by more than 4,000 votes.<ref name="1999 results">{{cite web |url=http://results.elections.on.ca/results/1999_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=37&rec=0&district=windsor-st.+clair&flag=E&layout=G |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140305211354/http://results.elections.on.ca/results/1999_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=37&rec=0&district=windsor-st.+clair&flag=E&layout=G |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 5, 2014 |title=Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=June 3, 1999 |accessdate=2014-03-02 }}</ref>

==After politics==
Lessard returned to his legal practice in Windsor for a short time and then became a Prosecutor for the City of Windsor.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Ontario MPP biography|id=wayne-lessard}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lessard, Wayne}}
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Ontario New Democratic Party MPPs]]
[[Category:Politicians from Windsor, Ontario]]
[[Category:University of Windsor alumni]]
[[Category:University of Windsor Faculty of Law alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario]]

Wayne Lessard - Revision history

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