the 40th Canadian general election, held on October 14, 2008, she was defeated by Gerard Kennedy, the Liberal candidate who formerly represented the electoral district at the provincial level. Nash was subsequently mentioned as a potential candidate for the Ontario New Democratic Party 2009 leadership election, although she did not run. After leaving Parliament, she returned to her position as one of the five assistants to CAW president Ken Lewenza. Her new duties within the CAW shifted from transportation to dealing with CAW bargaining units in post-secondary education and airlines. Her responsibilities also included representing the union at the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). At the federal party's national convention in Halifax, Nova Scotia, she was elected party president on August 15, 2009. 41st Parliament • 2011 to 2015 On January 15, 2010, it was announced on the Parkdale—High Park NDP website that Nash would be running for the nomination to be the electoral district association's candidate in the 41st Canadian general election. She was acclaimed as the NDP candidate in Parkdale—High Park on January 28, 2010, and campaigned until the May 2, 2011 election. In a rematch of the 2008 campaign, Nash defeated Kennedy by 7,313 votes, or 14 percent, to regain her seat in parliament. Jack Layton, in his role as Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition during the 41st Canadian Parliament, appointed Nash as the Finance Critic in his Shadow Cabinet on May 26, 2011. When she became an MP again, she did not re-offer to run for president, and Brian Topp was acclaimed as her replacement at the federal NDP's Vancouver bi-annual convention on June 18, 2011. Leadership candidacy With Jack Layton's death on August 22, 2011, the NDP began seeking a new federal leader. On September 9, the NDP's executive decided the rules for the leadership election, the date and place for the convention. Nash expressed interest in running, but appeared hesitant at first to run, because she would have to resign as the Finance Critic. By the last week of October, she sent signals that she intended to run, and announced her candidacy on October 28 at a press conference in Toronto. On March 24, 2012, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, she placed fourth on the second ballot, and was automatically dropped from contention. She did not back any of the remaining candidates, and freed her delegates — that had not already voted in