Tributes and stories have poured in over the last two days since news came of Lyle Stewart’s passing on Tuesday.
Stewart died at the age of 73 following a lengthy battle with cancer.
In a Facebook post, Premier Scott Moe said Stewart, “was a man of few words, which is unusual for a politician, but you always knew where he stood. His quiet strength and dedication to the people he served were an example to all of us who served with him. Lyle was a good friend and I will miss him a lot. On behalf of our government and the province, I want to express my deepest condolences to the family and many friends of Lyle Stewart. Flags at the Legislature will be lowered to half-mast in his honour.”
Farm groups including the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association and Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) posted on their respective Facebook pages condolences to the family of Lyle Stewart, adding he was a strong advocate for the agriculture sector and had made many contributions for the sector.
In an interview with SaskAgToday.com, CEO of the Cattlemen’s Association Grant McLellan said one of the hallmarks of Stewart’s time as Agriculture Minister – a position he held between 2012 and 2018 – was his involvement in getting the Viterra International Trade Centre built in Regina, where events such as Canadian Western Agribition are held annually.
“Our cattle producers and livestock producers certainly owe Lyle quite a lot for the work that he did and his tireless work to protect and defend our agriculture sector.” McLellan said. He also described the long-time SaskParty MLA as a direct, honest gentleman who represented his constituents well.
Stewart was the MLA for the Thunder Creek/Lumsden-Morse constituency from 1999 until his retirement last year. During that time, he held a number of positions in addition to being the Ag Minister, including interim leader of the Saskatchewan Party in 2004, the Minister of Enterprise and Innovation from 2007 to 2009, and Provincial Secretary of Saskatchewan from 2020 to 2022.
From a journalistic perspective, former 620 CKRM AgriNews Director Jim Smalley said Stewart was always accessible and well-informed on issues of the day. “He was willing to talk and as a reporter, you know that’s incredibly important – if you can’t get a hold of somebody to talk it’s really tough, but he was always available, willing to talk,” Smalley said, even noting one time conducting an interview from Stewart’s farm west of Regina. He also noted when Stewart was Enterprise and Innovation Minister, he kept up with the latest science and technology in the province and since he was a farmer, “was always interested in the farm angle for that.”
Provincial Agriculture Minister David Marit said he had known Stewart for close to 20 years, going back to his days with the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM). One particular memory Marit shared was from 2018, when Stewart had to step down from the Ag portfolio due to his declining health. Marit said Stewart told him that he went to talk to the Premier to say he fell ill again, and had recommended Marit to be the next Minister of Agriculture, calling it “a great honour for Lyle to say that.”
“He will be truly missed and he’s been a great friend. Our heart goes out to Lyle’s entire family, and our thoughts and prayers are with them.”
