Wayne Lessard is a politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 in Ontario, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. He served as a New Democratic Party Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) from 1990 to 1995, and again from 1997 to 1999.

Lessard was educated at the University of Windsor

University of Windsor

The University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...

, and worked as a barrister and solicitor. In 1986, he has operated a private law practice specializing in workplace safety, real estate

Real estate

In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...

, criminal defence and other matters. He has served as an Assistant Crown Attorney and legal counsel for the Corporation of the City of Windsor.

He was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1990 provincial election

Ontario general election, 1990

The Ontario general election of 1990 was held on September 6, 1990, to elect members of the 35th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada....

, defeating incumbent Liberal

Ontario Liberal Party

The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...

 Mike Ray

Mike Ray

Michael Charles Ray is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal from 1987 to 1990....

 by over 4,000 votes in the riding

Electoral district (Canada)

An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...

 of Windsor—Walkerville

Windsor—Walkerville

Windsor—Walkerville was a federal electoral district that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1968 to 1988. It was located in the southwest corner of the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1966 from parts of Essex East and Essex West ridings. The electoral district...

. The NDP won its first (and to date only) majority government in this election. Lessard was not a major figure in the party caucus and was not appointed to cabinet

Cabinet (government)

A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...

, although he served as a parliamentary assistant from 1990 to 1995.

The NDP were defeated in the 1995 provincial election

Ontario general election, 1995

The Ontario general election of 1995 was held on June 8, 1995, to elect members of the 36th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada...

, and Lessard lost his seat to Liberal Dwight Duncan

Dwight Duncan

Dwight Duncan, MPP is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1995, and is the Minister of Finance in the government of Dalton McGuinty...

 by 380 votes. He returned to the legislature two years later after winning a by-election

By-election

A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....

 in Windsor—Riverside, called after the resignation of Dave Cooke

Dave Cooke

Dave Cooke is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was an NDP member of the provincial legislature from 1977 to 1997, and was a senior cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae.-Early career:...

.

The province's electoral boundaries were radically altered between 1995 and 1999, and in the 1999 provincial election

Ontario general election, 1999

An Ontario general election was held on June 3, 1999, to elect members of the 37th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....

 Lessard was forced to face Dwight Duncan again in the new riding of Windsor—St. Clair

Windsor—St. Clair

Windsor—St. Clair was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 2003. It was located in the province of Ontario, and included a part of the city of Windsor. This riding was created in 1987 as "Windsor—Lake St. Clair" from parts of Essex—Windsor and...

. Despite having the support of the Canadian Auto Workers

Canadian Auto Workers

The Canadian Auto Workers is one of Canada's largest and highest profile social unions. While rooted in Ontario's large auto plants of Windsor, Brampton, Oakville, St...

, he lost by more than 4,000 votes.

Lessard continues to run a legal practice in Windsor.