Sterling Lyon

Sterling Rufus Lyon was a principled conservative jurist and prosecutor who served as Attorney General of Manitoba under Duff Roblin before serving as Premier of Manitoba from 1977 to 1981. Emphasizing fiscal restraint and deregulation, Lyon halted provincial mega-spending during his "acute protracted restraint" campaign.

Lyon's foremost national legacy arose during the 1981 constitutional negotiations. A staunch defender of the British tradition of parliamentary supremacy, Lyon vigorously opposed judicial supremacy, arguing that elected legislatures must have the final word; his insistence produced Section 33 (the Notwithstanding Clause) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He later served as Chief Justice of Manitoba.