A former provincial cabinet minister, leader of the Liberal Party, and long-time judge has passed away.

Retired Justice Leo Barry was 83.

Barry was first elected to the House of Assembly in 1972 as a Progressive Conservative.

He served as deputy speaker and was a cabinet minister under Tory premiers Frank Moores and Brian Peckford.

He lost his seat in the 1975 election, and while he was re-elected in 1979, he crossed the floor in 1984 to join the Liberal Party following a disagreement with Peckford.

He led the Liberals in Opposition for the next three years, but was handed a letter from his caucus seeking a leadership convention after the 1985 election, which he lost to Peckford.

A former lawyer, Barry was appointed as a judge in 1989 and retired in 2018.

He sat on a variety of judicial committees and oversaw the Commission of Inquiry Respecting the Death of Donald Dunphy.

Liberal Leader John Hogan says Barry made a “lasting contribution to the province.”

Premier Tony Wakeham called Barry’s “intellect, integrity and dedication to public life” an “inspiration.”