Before running for office, Duignan was an executive assistant to federal New Democratic Party MPs Derek Blackburn and Lyle Kristiansen.
[1] The NDP won a majority government and Duignan served as a parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations from 1993 to 1995.
[4] He ran for re-election in the 1999 provincial election in the riding of Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey, but finished third against Progressive Conservative incumbent David Tilson.
[5] He was also a candidate of the federal NDP in the 2004 Canadian election, but finished third against Conservative Michael Chong in the riding of Wellington—Halton Hills.
[6] Duignan trained in mediation with J.P. Ryan and Associates and the Law Society of Upper Canada and is a member of mediate.ca.