Norman William "Norm" Sterling (born February 19, 1942) is a Canadian politician, who served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1977 to 2011. Background 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. Politics Davis government 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 Grenville—Carleton. He became 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 was appointed as Provincial Secretary for Justice on February 13, 1982. On July 6, 1983, he was named as Provincial Secretary for Resource Development. 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. In opposition 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. Sterling was re-elected in the provincial elections of 1990. During his first stint in opposition, Sterling held numerous shadow cabinet portfolios such as critic for: the Solicitor General of Ontario; the Management Board of Cabinet; Economics, Industry, Trade and Technology; Intergovernmental Affairs; and Treasury and Economics and Revenue. Harris government In the 1995 election he was re-elected by almost 20,000 votes. The Progressive Conservatives