Norm Sterling
Encyclopedia
Norman William Sterling is a politician
in Ontario, Canada
. He is one of the longest-serving members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
, having been first elected in 1977.
Sterling attended Carleton University
and the University of Ottawa
, and worked as a lawyer
and engineer
before entering public life. He was a partner in the Sterling & Young law firm, and in 1974 became President of the Manotick Home & School Association.
Sterling ran unsuccessfully for a Progressive Conservative
nomination in 1971, at age 29. He tried again, successfully, in 1977, and was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1977 provincial election
in the safe eastern Ontario riding
of Carleton-Grenville. He served as parliamentary assistant
to the Attorney General in 1978, but was not appointed to the cabinet of Bill Davis
in his first term as a Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP).
Sterling was returned without difficulty in the 1981 election
, and served as a minister without portfolio
from April 10, 1981 to February 13, 1982. He then served as provincial secretary
for Justice from February 13, 1982 to July 6, 1983, and subsequently as provincial secretary
for Resources Development from July 6, 1983 to February 8, 1985. Sterling, who represents a predominantly rural and Protestant region of Ontario, disagreed with the Davis government's decision to fully fund Ontario's Catholic
school system and insisted that his protest be entered into the official minutes of the executive council
. Sterling initially supported Dennis Timbrell
to replace Davis as party leader, but crossed to Frank Miller on the last ballot after Timbrell was eliminated.
The Progressive Conservatives lost power following the 1985 election
, although Sterling had no difficulty being re-elected in his own riding. There was another Progressive Conservative leadership convention in late 1985. On this occasion, Sterling broke with Timbrell (describing the latter's post-election opposition to Catholic school funding as an opportunistic volte-face), and supported Larry Grossman
.
In the Liberal landslide of 1987
, however, he was only able to defeat Liberal candidate Roly Armitage by about 500 votes in the redistributed riding of Carleton. This was the only time in Sterling's career that his re-election was in doubt.
Sterling was re-elected in the provincial elections of 1990
and 1995
, on the latter occasion by almost 20,000 votes. The Progressive Conservatives formed government under Mike Harris
in 1995, and Sterling was appointed Minister of Small Business and Consumer Services on June 26 of that year. On August 16, 1996, he was promoted to Minister of Environment and Energy and Deputy House Leader. On October 7, 1997, he was again promoted to full House Leader and was given the re-titled post of Minister of the Environment.
In the provincial election of 1999
, Sterling was returned for the restructured riding of Lanark-Carleton
. He was appointed Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
and government House Leader on June 17, 1999. Following a cabinet shuffle on February 8, 2001, he became Minister of Consumer and Business Services; he also served as Minister of Correctional Services
from December 5, 2000 to March 8, 2001.
On April 15, 2002, after Ernie Eves
replaced Mike Harris
as Premier, Sterling was appointed Minister of Transportation. After a cabinet shuffle on February 25, 2003, he was promoted to the position of Attorney General, with responsibility for Native Affairs
.
The Progressive Conservatives were defeated in the 2003 provincial election
, although Sterling was able to defeat Liberal Marianne Wilkinson
by about 6,000 votes.
In 2004, Sterling supported Jim Flaherty
's unsuccessful bid to lead the Progressive Conservative Party.
Lanark-Carleton was redistributed prior to the 2007 provincial election
, and Sterling ran for re-election in the newly created riding of Carleton-Mississippi Mills
, which had been created out of the eastern two-thirds of his old riding. He won by a convincing margin, defeating Liberal Megan Cornell by over 7,000 votes.
In the 2009 leadership race
, Sterling supported the successful candidacy of Tim Hudak
. However, the membership of his riding association supported rural-rights candidate Randy Hillier
; Carleton-Mississippi Mills was one of only three ridings in the province where Hillier won a first-ballot victory.
In March 2011, Sterling was defeated in the race for his riding’s PC nomination by Jack MacLaren
, the former president of the Ontario Landowners Association
. MacLaren will be the party’s candidate in the 2011 provincial election
. He has not ruled out retiring or running as an independent.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in Ontario, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He is one of the longest-serving members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
, having been first elected in 1977.
Sterling attended Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
and the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
, and worked as a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
before entering public life. He was a partner in the Sterling & Young law firm, and in 1974 became President of the Manotick Home & School Association.
Sterling ran unsuccessfully for a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
nomination in 1971, at age 29. He tried again, successfully, in 1977, and was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1977 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1977
The Ontario general election of 1977 was held on June 9, 1977, to elect the 125 members of the 31st Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
in the safe eastern Ontario riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of Carleton-Grenville. He served as parliamentary assistant
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
to the Attorney General in 1978, but was not appointed to the cabinet of Bill Davis
Bill Davis
William Grenville "Bill" Davis, was the 18th Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the MPP for Peel in the 1959 provincial election where he was a backbencher in Leslie Frost's government. Under John Robarts, he was a cabinet minister overseeing the education...
in his first term as a Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP).
Sterling was returned without difficulty in the 1981 election
Ontario general election, 1981
The Ontario general election of 1981 was held on March 19, 1981, to elect members of the 32nd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, and served as a minister without portfolio
Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry...
from April 10, 1981 to February 13, 1982. He then served as provincial secretary
Provincial Secretary
The Provincial Secretary was a senior position in the executive councils of British North America's colonial governments, and was retained by the Canadian provincial governments for at least a century after Canadian Confederation was proclaimed in 1867...
for Justice from February 13, 1982 to July 6, 1983, and subsequently as provincial secretary
Provincial Secretary
The Provincial Secretary was a senior position in the executive councils of British North America's colonial governments, and was retained by the Canadian provincial governments for at least a century after Canadian Confederation was proclaimed in 1867...
for Resources Development from July 6, 1983 to February 8, 1985. Sterling, who represents a predominantly rural and Protestant region of Ontario, disagreed with the Davis government's decision to fully fund Ontario's Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
school system and insisted that his protest be entered into the official minutes of the executive council
Executive Council (Commonwealth countries)
An Executive Council in Commonwealth constitutional practice based on the Westminster system is a constitutional organ which exercises executive power and advises the governor or governor-general. Executive Councils often make decisions via Orders in Council.Executive Councillors are informally...
. Sterling initially supported Dennis Timbrell
Dennis Timbrell
Dennis Roy Timbrell is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1987, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of William Davis and Frank Miller.-Early life and career:...
to replace Davis as party leader, but crossed to Frank Miller on the last ballot after Timbrell was eliminated.
The Progressive Conservatives lost power following the 1985 election
Ontario general election, 1985
The Ontario general election of 1985 was held on May 2, 1985, to elect members of the 33rd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada...
, although Sterling had no difficulty being re-elected in his own riding. There was another Progressive Conservative leadership convention in late 1985. On this occasion, Sterling broke with Timbrell (describing the latter's post-election opposition to Catholic school funding as an opportunistic volte-face), and supported Larry Grossman
Larry Grossman
Lawrence "Larry" Sheldon Grossman was a politician in Ontario, Canada.-Early years:Born in Toronto, Grossman was the son of Allan Grossman, who had represented a downtown Toronto riding in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for twenty years after defeating Ontario's last Communist Member of...
.
In the Liberal landslide of 1987
Ontario general election, 1987
The Ontario general election of 1987 was held on September 10, 1987, to elect members of the 34th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada.The governing Ontario Liberal Party, led by David Peterson, was returned to power with a large majority...
, however, he was only able to defeat Liberal candidate Roly Armitage by about 500 votes in the redistributed riding of Carleton. This was the only time in Sterling's career that his re-election was in doubt.
Sterling was re-elected in the provincial elections of 1990
Ontario general election, 1990
The Ontario general election of 1990 was held on September 6, 1990, to elect members of the 35th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada....
and 1995
Ontario general election, 1995
The Ontario general election of 1995 was held on June 8, 1995, to elect members of the 36th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada...
, on the latter occasion by almost 20,000 votes. The Progressive Conservatives formed government under Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
in 1995, and Sterling was appointed Minister of Small Business and Consumer Services on June 26 of that year. On August 16, 1996, he was promoted to Minister of Environment and Energy and Deputy House Leader. On October 7, 1997, he was again promoted to full House Leader and was given the re-titled post of Minister of the Environment.
In the provincial election of 1999
Ontario general election, 1999
An Ontario general election was held on June 3, 1999, to elect members of the 37th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, Sterling was returned for the restructured riding of Lanark-Carleton
Lanark—Carleton (provincial electoral district)
Lanark–Carleton was a provincial electoral district in eastern Ontario, Canada that elected one Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. It was created in 1999 from Lanark—Renfrew and Carleton...
. He was appointed Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs (Ontario)
The Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs is responsible for intergovernmental affairs between the Canadian province of Ontario and the other provinces and territories and the Canadian government...
and government House Leader on June 17, 1999. Following a cabinet shuffle on February 8, 2001, he became Minister of Consumer and Business Services; he also served as Minister of Correctional Services
from December 5, 2000 to March 8, 2001.
On April 15, 2002, after Ernie Eves
Ernie Eves
Ernest Lawrence "Ernie" Eves was the 23rd Premier of the province of Ontario, Canada, from April 15, 2002, to October 23, 2003.-Beginnings:...
replaced Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
as Premier, Sterling was appointed Minister of Transportation. After a cabinet shuffle on February 25, 2003, he was promoted to the position of Attorney General, with responsibility for Native Affairs
Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs (Ontario)
The Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs is the Government of Ontario ministry responsible for issues relating to First Nations, Métis and Inuit in Ontario. The current Minister of Aboriginal Affairs is Kathleen Wynne who sits in the Executive Council of Ontario or cabinet...
.
The Progressive Conservatives were defeated in the 2003 provincial election
Ontario general election, 2003
The Ontario general election of 2003 was held on October 2, 2003, to elect the 103 members of the 38th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, although Sterling was able to defeat Liberal Marianne Wilkinson
Marianne Wilkinson
Marianne Wilkinson is the Councillor of Kanata North in the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She is a long-time resident of Kanata and a veteran public servant in that former city. She served as Kanata's first mayor following its incorporation...
by about 6,000 votes.
In 2004, Sterling supported Jim Flaherty
Jim Flaherty
James Michael "Jim" Flaherty, PC, MP is Canada's Minister of Finance and he has also served as Ontario's Minister of Finance. From 1995 until 2005, he was the Member of Provincial Parliament for Whitby—Ajax, and a member of the Progressive Conservative Party caucus...
's unsuccessful bid to lead the Progressive Conservative Party.
Lanark-Carleton was redistributed prior to the 2007 provincial election
Ontario general election, 2007
The Ontario general election of 2007 was held on October 10, 2007 to elect members of the 39th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. The Liberals under Dalton McGuinty won the election with a majority government, winning 71 out of a possible 107 seats with 42.2% of the popular...
, and Sterling ran for re-election in the newly created riding of Carleton-Mississippi Mills
Carleton—Mississippi Mills (provincial electoral district)
Carleton–Mississippi Mills is a provincial electoral district in eastern Ontario, Canada. It was created for the 2007 provincial election. 78.7% of the riding came from Lanark–Carleton while 21.3% came from Nepean–Carleton....
, which had been created out of the eastern two-thirds of his old riding. He won by a convincing margin, defeating Liberal Megan Cornell by over 7,000 votes.
In the 2009 leadership race
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election, 2009
On March 6, 2009, Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leader John Tory announced his intention to step down as leader following his defeat in a by-election. Tory was elected party leader in the party's 2004 leadership election, and led the party to defeat in the 2007 provincial election in...
, Sterling supported the successful candidacy of Tim Hudak
Tim Hudak
Timothy Patrick "Tim" Hudak is a politician in Ontario, Canada, and the Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario . He also serves as member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for the riding of Niagara West—Glanbrook.-Background:Tim Hudak was born in Fort Erie, Ontario...
. However, the membership of his riding association supported rural-rights candidate Randy Hillier
Randy Hillier (politician)
Randy Hillier is a rural activist and politician in Ontario, Canada. He was elected as a Progressive Conservative MPP for Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington during the 2007 Ontario general election...
; Carleton-Mississippi Mills was one of only three ridings in the province where Hillier won a first-ballot victory.
In March 2011, Sterling was defeated in the race for his riding’s PC nomination by Jack MacLaren
Jack MacLaren
Jack MacLaren is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2011 election. He represents the electoral district of Carleton—Mississippi Mills as a member of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party caucus....
, the former president of the Ontario Landowners Association
Ontario Landowners Association
The Ontario Landowners Association is an organization which seeks to protect property rights in Ontario, Canada. The OLA was formed "...to preserve and protect the rights of property owners and to enshrine property rights within the Constitution of Canada and the laws of the Province of Ontario."...
. MacLaren will be the party’s candidate in the 2011 provincial election
Ontario general election, 2011
The 40th Ontario general election was held on October 6, 2011 to elect members of the 40th Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The Ontario Liberal Party will form a minority government, with the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario serving as the Official Opposition and the Ontario New...
. He has not ruled out retiring or running as an independent.