Chris Stockwell, a maverick Progressive Conservative MPP who became one of the most effective Speakers in Queen’s Park history, has died. He was 60.

Stockwell had been battling cancer.

Born into a political family in Etobicoke — his father, Bill, was a municipal councillor — Stockwell served on local council and Metro council before jumping into the provincial arena in 1990.

Famously outspoken and quick-witted, Stockwell’s first five years at Queen’s Park were spent in opposition, where he was a thorn in the side of then premier Bob Rae’s NDP government.

When Mike Harris led the Tories to a landslide victory in 1995, it was expected he would be chosen for cabinet.

But Harris passed him over, which resulted in a bitterly disappointed Stockwell eventually seeking the job of Speaker of the legislative assembly, where he served as a fair-minded referee of parliamentary debates.

While the premier opposed him getting that post, he enjoyed support from dissident Tory MPPs as well as opposition Liberals and New Democrats.

Stockwell proved himself to be a fiercely independent Speaker, often ruling against the Conservatives on key procedural decisions by putting legislative tradition above partisanship.

Even so, he remained a popular figure with politicians throughout Ontario.

Progressive Conservative MPP Lisa MacLeod tweeted her condolences on Sunday night: “He was a superb public servant, Speaker of the assembly and a loyal Progressive Conservative. He was particularly kind to me as a friend and supporter. I will always remember him and forever miss him.”

Former PC leader Tim Hudak called Stockwell “a great Speaker who couldn’t be fooled because he had broken every rule in the book many times himself,” while interim leader Vic Fedeli said that he was “very saddened to hear about” Stockwell’s passing.

Toronto councilor Josh Matlow also paid tribute to the former MPP on Sunday night, adding, “whether we agreed, or disagreed, on a public policy issue, (Stockwell) was a skilled legislator, independent thinker and a very memorable personality.”

Prior to the 1999 election, Harris reduced the number of MPPs at Queen’s Park from 130 to 103, which led to many incumbents squaring off against their own caucus colleagues in a high-stakes game of musical chairs.

For Stockwell, it meant facing Tory MPP Doug Ford Sr. — father of Doug Jr. and Rob of later city hall notoriety — in the new riding of Etobicoke Centre.

“Doug and Rob were very vocal guys. They wanted things their way. They weren’t getting their way because I’d already stacked the riding association,” he recalled to the Star’s David Rider in 2014.

Stockwell trounced Doug Sr. for the nomination, which left the elder Ford with no seat to run in for the 1999 campaign. He died in 2006.

“I remember seeing their faces — they were pissed. Doug Sr. never spoke to me again,” he remembered.

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Once back at Queen’s Park, Harris finally appointed the popular Etobicoke MPP to cabinet, making him labour minister, a tricky portfolio for a right-leaning government that sparred with unions.

He was then government house leader and finally energy minister.

In 2002, Stockwell mounted a spirited, but underfunded campaign for the Tory leadership, finishing fifth and last in the contest to succeed Harris.

Incoming premier Ernie Eves kept him in cabinet, but Stockwell stepped down in 2003 amid controversy surrounding travel expenses and did not seek re-election that year.

His departure from Queen’s Park robbed the legislature of one its most colourful characters.

But, as a former Speaker, his official portrait hangs on the first floor of the main legislative building.

A doting father, he made sure in to include a small picture of his two children, who are now adults, in the massive oil painting.