Name: Harinder Takhar

Age: 61

Background: Takhar came to Canada from India in 1974 with a few dollars in his pocket, something he says help shape him. The Mississauga-Erindale MPP is an accountant by trade and has worked on boards of organizations such as the united way and the Credit Valley Hospital. He was elected as MPP in 2003 and has been Minister of Government Services, Transportation, and Small Business and Consumer Services.

Family: Wife Balwinder and two daughters.

Why he wants to be Premier: He wants to help the province's economic situation and thinks his business background will help him do that.

Teachers: Pointing to the fact that he has been through contract negotiations while sitting on the Peel District school board, Takhar says in the future, the two sides must take a balanced approach to negotiating that focuses on student needs.

Number one priority if chosen as Liberal leader/premier: Whittling down the deficit and creating jobs.

How he's seen:  Takhar has has some smudges on his record, including a 2006 Integrity commissioner finding that he violated Ontario integrity guidelines because he didn't keep an arms-length distance with his company that was placed in a blind trust when he joined cabinet (His wife was still CEO). Ethical questions have also been raised recently about using ministerial resources before he launched his leadership campaign, which he denies.

Message to Ontarians: The leadership election is about residents and delegates; about ideas and policies.