A former premier is remembering the late Leo Barry as an intelligent and respected man who didn’t suffer fools gladly.
Leo Barry, a former cabinet minister and jurist passed away this week at the age of 83.
Roger Grimes first encountered Barry as a member of the Teachers’ Association while presenting a brief to cabinet at the time, and remembers that the meeting “didn’t go so well.”
Listen to “Roger Grimes” on Spreaker.
“He challenged people. He was a brilliant person, a great intellect, and he wasn’t just going to listen to stuff and let it pass. He would ask probing, insightful questions. I got the impression at the time that he was being a bit dismissive, even condescending towards us, so we didn’t get off to the best of starts.”
Former Premier Roger Grimes (VOCM News)
Grimes says as a politician, Barry was more interested in the issues rather than back slapping and glad handing.
“He was there to do a job, no matter what it was, whether it was politics…he was best suited I think for his career on the bench. There was no question of his intellect, probably acknowledged to be one of the smarter, brighter, deeper thinkers in the history of Newfoundland and Labrador.”
