Canada's largest private-sector union, Unifor, has elected Lana Payne as its new national president after former president Jerry Dias stepped down earlier this year.
It was the first contested election since Unifor’s founding convention in 2013 when Dias was elected president.
Dias was set to retire this year, but retired early amid an investigation into an alleged kickback he received from a company supplying COVID-19 rapid tests.
Payne beat former assistant to the president Scott Doherty and Unifor Local 444 president Dave Cassidy.
She's the first woman to lead a large national private sector union in Canada.
Payne won the first ballot with more than 45 per cent of the vote. The election then proceeded to a second ballot between Payne and runner-up Doherty, as Unifor requires 51 per cent or more to win an election.
Payne won the second ballot by 60.8 per cent.
Unifor is Canada’s largest private-sector union, representing 315,000 workers in a variety of sectors.