Ralph Goodale

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The Honourable
Ralph Goodale
PC MP
Ralph Goodale.png
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Assumed office
November 4, 2015
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Preceded by Steven Blaney
36th Minister of Finance
In office
December 11, 2003 – February 6, 2006
Prime Minister Paul Martin
Preceded by John Manley
Succeeded by Jim Flaherty
Minister of Public Works and Government Services
In office
May 26, 2002 – December 11, 2003
Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
Preceded by Don Boudria
Succeeded by Stephen Owen
Minister of Natural Resources
In office
June 11, 1997 – January 14, 2002
Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
Preceded by Anne McLellan
Succeeded by Herb Dhaliwal
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
In office
November 4, 1993 – June 10, 1997
Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
Preceded by Charles Mayer
Succeeded by Lyle Vanclief
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Regina—Wascana
Assumed office
October 19, 2015
Preceded by Constituency reestablished
In office
October 25, 1993 – June 2, 1997
Preceded by Larry Schneider
Succeeded by Constituency abolished
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Wascana
In office
June 2, 1997 – October 19, 2015
Preceded by Constituency established
Succeeded by Constituency abolished
Member of the Legislative Assembly
for Assiniboia-Gravelbourg
In office
1986–1988
Preceded by Allen Engel
Succeeded by Jack Wolfe
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Assiniboia
In office
July 8, 1974 – May 22, 1979
Preceded by Bill Knight
Succeeded by Leonard Gustafson
Personal details
Born Ralph Edward Goodale
(1949-10-05) October 5, 1949 (age 67)
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Political party Liberal
Spouse(s) Pam Goodale
Alma mater University of Regina
University of Saskatchewan
Religion Lutheranism

Ralph Edward Goodale, PC MP (born October 5, 1949) is Canada's Minister of Public Safety in the present Cabinet, headed by Justin Trudeau. He was Canada's Minister of Finance from 2003 to 2006, and leader of the Saskatchewan Liberal Party from 1981 to 1988. He has been the Liberal Member of Parliament for Regina-Wascana since 1993 (known as simply Wascana from 1997 to 2015), having previously served as the member for Assiniboia from 1974 to 1979. He was named Opposition House Leader by interim Liberal leader Bill Graham in 2006, and continued to serve in this role under the leadership of Stéphane Dion and Michael Ignatieff until September 2010 when he was promoted to Deputy Leader—a post he retained under Trudeau.

Early life[edit]

Goodale was born in Regina, Saskatchewan and raised on a farm near Wilcox, Saskatchewan. He was a member of Scouts Canada and earned the rank of Queen's Scout.[1] He first attended the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus and then obtained a law degree from the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, where he was awarded the Gold Medal for academic achievement.

Federal politics, 1974-1979[edit]

Active at politics from a young age, he was first elected to the Parliament of Canada in the 1974 election at the age of 24 from the seat of Assiniboia. He served as a government backbencher until the 1979 election, when he was defeated.

Provincial politics[edit]

In 1981, Goodale was named leader of the Saskatchewan Liberal Party.

He led that party to a very poor showing in the 1982 provincial election, in which the party received 4.51% of the popular vote and won no seats in the provincial legislature. However, Goodale was the only Liberal candidate to receive more than 1,000 votes.[2]

The party won 9.99% of the vote in the 1986 provincial election, but only Goodale was elected to the legislature. Goodale ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility in this election, arguing that both the Progressive Conservative and New Democrat (NDP) parties favoured excessive spending policies, typified by their proposals for a Keynesian-style stimulation of the provincial economy through subsidized home improvement and renovation schemes.

Return to federal politics[edit]

Defeated in 1988 election[edit]

Goodale resigned as leader to run for the federal Liberals in the 1988 election for the seat of Regina—Wascana, but he was narrowly defeated by former Regina mayor Larry Schneider, who later went on to serve briefly in Kim Campbell's cabinet. Beginning earlier that year and prior to his resignation, Goodale's executive assistant was Jason Kenney. Kenney would become a Conservative Party of Canada MP in a Calgary riding.

Goodale then spent five years in the private sector, working for companies such as the Pioneer Life Assurance Company, Pioneer Lifeco Inc., and Sovereign Life Insurance Co.; he has stated in interviews that he felt his political career had ended.

In government, 1993-2006[edit]

Goodale in 2004.

Goodale contested Regina-Wascana again in the 1993 federal election and was elected as part of the Liberals' massive landslide that year. As a member of the new Chrétien cabinet, Goodale was named Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. He has the prenominal "the Honourable" and the postnominal "PC" for life by virtue of being made a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada on November 4, 1993.[3] He has been reelected for this riding, known as Wascana from 1997 to 2015, at every election since then.

In 1997, he became the Minister of Natural Resources. In 2002, he was named Minister of Public Works and Government Services. The Department of Public Works and Government Services had been plagued by scandals.

A close ally of Paul Martin, Goodale was appointed to the senior portfolio of Finance Minister when Martin became Prime Minister on December 12, 2003. In that capacity he tabled two consecutive balanced budgets and launched the Government's productivity agenda.

On December 28, 2005, a letter surfaced from Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli confirming the force was launching a criminal investigation into whether details regarding government tax policies relating to income trust funds were leaked from the Finance Minister's office. Goodale said he would co-operate completely with any investigation, but would not step aside while the RCMP continued their probe. The investigation deals only with the Department of Finance, and not the minister himself.[4] On February 15, 2007 the RCMP announced the conclusion of the income trust investigation and laid a charge of 'Breach of Trust' against Serge Nadeau, an official in the Department of Finance.[5] Goodale was cleared of any wrongdoing.[6] Goodale blamed the NDP's Judy Wasylycia-Leis for sabotaging the Liberals in the 2006 election.[7]

In opposition, 2006-2015[edit]

Goodale won re-election to the House of Commons in the general election on January 23, 2006, but lost his cabinet position with the Liberal defeat.

2006 Liberal Party leadership election[edit]

After the Liberals' defeat, and Paul Martin's election night announcement that he would be resigning as party leader, Goodale initially indicated that he was not interested in succeeding Martin in that post. "I do not anticipate ever having to cross that bridge," he said. "I rule it out."[8] On March 16, 2006, however, the Toronto Star reported that Goodale was reconsidering his decision, and stated that he may enter the Liberal leadership election after all.[9] In the end he declined, citing his inability to speak French as a key reason. On November 28, 2006, he endorsed Bob Rae to be the next leader of the Liberal Party.[10] After the third ballot, Bob Rae, who finished third, was eliminated. Goodale then endorsed Stéphane Dion, the eventual winner.

Goodale was opposed to David Orchard's candidacy in the by-election for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River.[11] Dion terminated the nomination contest and appointed Joan Beatty as the candidate.

Proposed coalition government, 2008[edit]

In November 2008, the three opposition parties in the Canadian parliament indicated their intention to defeat the Stephen Harper government in a motion of no confidence, and expressed their desire for Governor General Michaëlle Jean to ask a member of the opposition to form a new government. There was initially some speculation that Goodale would become Prime Minister of Canada as leader of the proposed coalition government.[12] However, the coalition agreement simply made "the leader of the Liberal Party" Prime Minister, and the Liberals agreed shortly after that Stéphane Dion would lead the government on an interim basis until a new Liberal leader was chosen.[13] In the end, parliament was prorogued by Jean at the request of the prime minister before a confidence vote could be put to the house. By the time parliament resumed in January 2009, Michael Ignatieff had become interim leader of the party. He did not seek to bring down the government and agreed to support Harper's budget with amendments.

2011 election[edit]

Goodale was one of the 34 Liberal MPs who was returned in the 2011 federal election.

The NDP surpassed the Liberals in number of seats, becoming the official opposition, resulted in priority in choosing parliamentary offices. They requested that Goodale forfeit his suite in the coveted Central Block. The Liberals saw this as a measure of disrespect to Goodale, noting that he had seniority as a former cabinet minister and house leader, despite this being standard practice and noting the Conservatives had not asked any Liberals to give up their offices.[7]

In government, 2015-present[edit]

The Liberals won a majority government in the 2015 federal election, and Goodale was re-elected to a ninth term in the House of Commons, once again representing Regina—Wascana as a consequence of redistricting. He was named Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.[14] He is the only MP to serve in government with both Pierre and Justin Trudeau.[15]

Next-in-line[edit]

An order in council on November 4, 2015,[16] places Goodale as first in line to assume the prime minister's powers & duties as acting prime minister, should Prime Minister Justin Trudeau become incapacitated. Trudeau did not appoint a deputy prime minister.

Electoral record[edit]

Regina—Wascana[edit]

Canadian federal election, 2015: Regina-Wascana
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
Liberal Ralph Goodale 23,552 55.13 +13.37 $96,786.47
Conservative Michael Kram 12,931 30.27 -5.44 $89,000.81
New Democratic April Bourgeois 5,362 12.55 -7.53 $21,735.49
Green Frances Simonson 878 2.06 -0.4 $4,601.01
Total valid votes/Expense limit 42,723 100.0     $193,043.93
Total rejected ballots 176 – –
Turnout 42,889 75.4 –
Eligible voters 56,656
Source: Elections Canada[17][18][19]
Canadian federal election, 2011
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
Liberal (x) Ralph Goodale 15,823 40.8 -5.2 $65,366
Conservative Ian Shields 14,291 36.9 +2.3 $74,976
New Democratic Marc Spooner 7,681 19.8 +5.1 $25,821
Green Bill Clary 954 2.5 -2.1 $755
Total valid votes 38,749 100.0 –
Total rejected ballots 106 0.3 0.0
Turnout 38,855 68.1 +3.9
Eligible voters 57,034 – –
Canadian federal election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
Liberal (x) Ralph Goodale 17,028 46.0 -5.7 $66,057
Conservative Michelle Hunter 12,798 34.6 +4.4 $66,686
New Democratic Stephen Moore 5,418 14.7 +0.2 $19,393
Green George Wooldridge 1,706 4.6 +1.1 $4,204
Total valid votes/Expense limit 36,950 100.0 $77,030
Total rejected ballots 121 0.3 +0.1
Turnout 37,071 64.2 -6
Canadian federal election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
Liberal (x) Ralph Goodale 20,666 51.8 -5.4 $66,648
Conservative Brad Farquhar 11,990 30.0 +5.8 $67,579
New Democratic Helen Yum 5,880 14.7 -1.3 $30,123
Green Nigel Taylor 1,378 3.5 +0.9 $1,653
Total valid votes 39,914 100.0
Total rejected ballots 94 0.2 0.0
Turnout 40,008 70 +7
Canadian federal election, 2004
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
Liberal (x) Ralph Goodale 20,567 57.2 +16.0 $43,226
Conservative Doug Cryer 8,709 24.2 -11.9 $57,802
New Democratic Erin M.K. Weir 5,771 16.0 -5.5 $29,783
Green Darcy Robilliard 928 2.6
Total valid votes 35,975 100.0
Total rejected ballots 80 0.2 -0.1
Turnout 36,055 63.1 +0.9
Canadian federal election, 2000
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
Liberal (x) Ralph Goodale 14,244 41.2 -0.7 $56,685
Alliance James Rybchuk 12,492 36.1 +7.2 $59,667
New Democratic Garth Ormiston 7,446 21.5 -6.8 $58,098
Canadian Action Wayne Gilmer 401 1.2 +0.4 $1,619
Total valid votes 34,583 100.0
Total rejected ballots 98 0.3 -0.1
Turnout 34,681 62.3 -4.0
Canadian federal election, 1997
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
Liberal (x) Ralph Goodale 14,077 41.9 -2.4 $54,021
New Democratic John Burton 9,530 28.4 +7.2 $37,942
Reform Glen Blager 7,261 21.6 +5.9 $39,285
Progressive Conservative Michael Morris 2,477 7.4 -8.4 $18,266
Canadian Action Walter P. Sigda 264 0.8 – $1,822
Total valid votes 33,609 100.0
Total rejected ballots 136 0.4
Turnout 33,745 66.2
Canadian federal election, 1993
Party Candidate Votes % ∆%
Liberal (x) Ralph Goodale 19,555 44.3 +11.5
New Democratic Donna Shire 9,323 21.1 -11.8
Progressive Conservative Larry Schneider 6,943 15.7 -18.3
Reform Andrew Jackson 6,935 15.7 –
National John Keen 734 1.7 –
Natural Law C. Angus Hunt 228 0.5 –
Christian Heritage Hugh Owens 192 0.4 –
Independent Barry James Farr 185 0.4 –
Canada Party Walter P. Sigda 64 0.1 –
Total valid votes 44,159 100.0
Canadian federal election, 1988
Party Candidate Votes %
Progressive Conservative (x) Larry Schneider 15,339 34.0
New Democratic Dickson Bailey 14,829 32.9
Liberal Ralph Goodale 14,804 32.8
Communist Kimball Cariou 76 0.2
Libertarian Ian Christopher Madsen 65 0.1
Total valid votes 45,113 100.0

Assiniboia-Gravelbourg[edit]

Saskatchewan General Election 1986: Assiniboia-Gravelbourg
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Ralph Edward Goodale 3,246 41.01 +8.66
New Democratic Allen Willard Engel 2,395 30.26 -3.43
     PC Bill Fancourt 2,273 28.72 +0.14
Total 7,914 100.00
Saskatchewan General Election 1982: Assiniboia-Gravelbourg
Party Candidate Votes % ±
New Democratic Allen Willard Engel 2,875 33.69 -4.80
Liberal Ralph Edward Goodale 2,760 32.34 -0.43
     PC Rene Archambault 2,438 28.57 -0.13
Western Canada Concept Hugh Clarke 459 5.37 -
Total 8,532

Assiniboia[edit]

Canadian federal election, 1980
Party Candidate Votes
Progressive Conservative Len Gustafson 11,251
Liberal Ralph Goodale 10,167
New Democratic Randy MacKenzie 9,710
Social Credit Walton Eddy 178
Canadian federal election, 1979
Party Candidate Votes
Progressive Conservative Len Gustafson 12,365
New Democratic Bill Knight 11,183
Liberal Ralph Goodale 9,955
Social Credit Walton Eddy 292
Canadian federal election, 1974
Party Candidate Votes
Liberal Ralph Goodale 9,986
New Democratic Bill Knight 9,441
Progressive Conservative Tom Hart 7,105
Social Credit Rod McRae 246

References[edit]

  1. ^ [1] Archived November 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ^ [2] Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ^ Biodata Archived August 12, 2004, at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ "RCMP to investigate allegations of income trust leak". CBC News. 2005-12-29. Retrieved 2015-11-10. 
  5. ^ "RCMP investigation conclusion". News.gc.ca. 2011-04-20. Retrieved 2011-12-17. 
  6. ^ "Goodale cleared in trust case". Canada.com. 2007-02-16. Retrieved 2011-12-17. 
  7. ^ a b Taber, Jane (May 31, 2011). "First went their colleagues, now the Grits are losing office space". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved 2015-11-10. 
  8. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/sask/story/goodale-liberals060124.html.  Missing or empty |title= (help)[dead link]
  9. ^ The Star. Toronto https://web.archive.org/web/20070929155458/http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&pubid=968163964505&cid=1142594469090&col=968705899037&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=968332188492&call_pagepath=News/News. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ [3] Archived November 16, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
  11. ^ Delacourt, Susan, "Dion accused of snubbing Orchard", Toronto Star, January 5, 2008
  12. ^ Whittington, Les; Tonda MacCharles; Bruce Campion-Smith (2008-11-30). "Tories blink first in showdown". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2008-11-30. One prominent name being mentioned is former Liberal finance minister Ralph Goodale. 
  13. ^ "Liberals, NDP, Bloc sign deal on proposed coalition". CBC News. 2008-12-01. Retrieved 2014-03-26. 
  14. ^ "Saskatchewan MP Ralph Goodale sworn in as minister of public safety". CBC News. 2015-11-04. Retrieved 2015-11-05. 
  15. ^ "Ralph Goodale only MP to serve under both Trudeau prime ministers". CBC News. 2015-10-21. Retrieved 2015-11-05. 
  16. ^ Office, Government of Canada Privy Council. "Orders in Council - Search". www.pco-bcp.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-03-25. 
  17. ^ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Regina—Wascana, 30 September 2015
  18. ^ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates
  19. ^ [4]

External links[edit]

26th Ministry – Cabinet of Jean Chrétien
Cabinet posts (4)
Predecessor Office Successor
Don Boudria Minister of Public Works and Government Services
2002–2003		 Stephen Owen
' Minister of State
2002
NB: no portfolio specified (while House Leader)		 '
Anne McLellan Minister of Natural Resources
1997–2002		 Herb Dhaliwal
Charlie Mayer Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
1993–1997
NB: "Minister of Agriculture" before 1995		 Lyle Vanclief
Special Cabinet Responsibilities
Predecessor Title Successor
New office Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
1997–2003		 Reg Alcock
Anne McLellan Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians
1997–2003		 Denis Coderre
Special Parliamentary Responsibilities
Predecessor Title Successor
Don Boudria Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
(2002)		 Don Boudria
27th Ministry – Cabinet of Paul Martin
Cabinet post (1)
Predecessor Office Successor
John Manley Minister of Finance
2003–2006		 Jim Flaherty
Political offices
Preceded by
Jay Hill		 Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons
2006–2010		 Succeeded by
David McGuinty
29th Ministry – Cabinet of Justin Trudeau
Cabinet post (1)
Predecessor Office Successor
Steven Blaney Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
2015–present		 Incumbent
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