He was elected to the
Ontario legislature in the
1990 provincial election, defeating incumbent
Liberal Mike Ray by over 4,000 votes in the
riding of
Windsor—Walkerville. The NDP won its first majority government in this election. Lessard was appointed as
parliamentary assistant from 1990 to 1995. The NDP were defeated in the
1995 provincial election, and Lessard lost his seat to Liberal
Dwight Duncan by 380 votes. He returned to the legislature two years later after winning a
by-election in
Windsor—Riverside, called after the resignation of
Dave Cooke. The province's electoral boundaries were radically altered between 1995 and 1999, and in the
1999 provincial election Lessard was forced to face Dwight Duncan again in the new riding of
Windsor—St. Clair. Despite having the support of the
Canadian Auto Workers, he lost by more than 4,000 votes. ==After politics==