Former Saskatchewan Party MLA and provincial cabinet minister Lyle Stewart has died at the age of 73 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe confirmed Stewart’s death on his X (formerly known as Twitter) page Tuesday evening saying, “Lyle was a good friend and I will miss him a lot.”
Stewart was the Sask. Party MLA for the Thunder Creek and Lumsden-Morse ridings. He served in politics for 24 years before his retirement last year.
“Lyle was a man of few words, which is unusual for a politician, but you always knew where he stood,” Moe said.
“His quiet strength and dedication to the people he served were an example to all of us who served with him.”
Stewart was first elected in 1999 and was re-elected in five subsequent provincial elections. During his time in government, he served as minister of enterprise and innovation, minister of agriculture, provincial secretary, and legislative secretary responsible for provincial autonomy.
Bryan Matheson, the mayor of Lumsden said Stewart was always very interested in the community.
“He was just always there, always available, always helping and always interested in everyone,” Matheson explained.