The Tories under Sterling Lyon won a majority government in this election, and Corrin sat with the opposition for the next four years as shadow Justice Minister.
When the NDP caucus met in 1979 to choose an interim leader following the resignation of Edward Schreyer, Corrin refused to cast a ballot and criticized the selection process.
Corrin was easily re-elected in the redistributed riding of Ellice in the provincial election of 1981,[4] as the NDP won a majority government under Howard Pawley.
He was defeated,[5] due primarily to public opposition to the Pawley government's plans to re-entrench French language services in provincial law.
In 1985 he was appointed chair of the provincial task force studying the impact of government regulations on business and continued in that role until 1987.