[4] When Lyn McLeod resigned as Liberal leader in 1996, Cordiano announced his candidacy to succeed her.
His replacement by Gerry Phillips as Deputy Leader angered some in the province's Italian community.
Cordiano and Kennedy were again rivals in the provincial election of 1999, this time for the Liberal nomination in the redistributed riding of York South—Weston.
Kennedy was convinced by the party leadership to run elsewhere, and Cordiano won an easy victory in the election which followed.
Under his term as Minister, Ontario replaced Michigan as the largest auto-producing jurisdiction in North America.
Jurisdictions across the United States were in competition for this highly sought after investment that created 1,300 direct jobs and thousands more in related sectors.
[9][10] Cordiano resigned from the cabinet and the legislature on September 18, 2006, citing a desire to spend more time with his family.