Ralph Goodale

Ralph Edward Goodale (born October 5, 1949) is a Canadian diplomat and retired politician who has served as the Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom since April 19, 2021.

Goodale was first elected in 1974 as the member of Parliament (MP) for Assiniboia, as a member of the Liberal Party.

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 defeated New Democratic Party (NDP) incumbent Bill Knight.

He was defeated in 1979, and moved into provincial Saskatchewan politics, serving as leader of the Saskatchewan Liberals from 1981 to 1988.

He served as a backbench supporter of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's government until the 1979 election, when he was defeated, coming in third behind winning Progressive Conservative Lenard Gustafson and Knight.

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; he won 2,760 in Assiniboia-Gravelbourg and lost narrowly to incumbent Allen Engel.

The party won 9.99% of the vote in the 1986 provincial election, but only Goodale was elected to the legislature, defeating Engel in a rematch.

Goodale ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility in this election, arguing that both the Progressive Conservative and New Democratic 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.

Goodale resigned as leader to run for the federal Liberals in the 1988 election for the seat of Regina—Wascana.

He lost narrowly to 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.

He returned to federal politics in 1993, as the MP for Regina—Wascana (known simply as Wascana from 1997 to 2015), and served in the governments of Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin and Justin Trudeau, in several roles including as minister of finance and minister of public safety.

Goodale was born in Regina, Saskatchewan and raised on a farm near Wilcox, Saskatchewan, the son of Winnifred Claire (Myers) and Thomas Henry Goodale.

He was a member of Scouts Canada and earned the rank of Queen's Scout.

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.

Goodale contested Regina—Wascana again in the 1993 federal election and was elected as part of the Liberal 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.

Kenney would become a Conservative Party of Canada MP in Calgary ridings Calgary Southeast and Calgary Midnapore (1997–2016) and later Premier of Alberta (2019-2022).

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.

He was reelected for this riding, known as Wascana from 1997 to 2015, in the next seven federal elections.

In 1997, he became the Minister of Natural Resources.

In May 2002, he was named Minister of Public Works and Government Services, a few weeks after the Auditor General Sheila Fraser issued a report accusing the department of inappropriate contracting practices.

This began the exposure of the Sponsorship scandal.

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 dealt only with the Department of Finance, and not the minister himself.

Goodale was cleared of any wrongdoing, and blamed the NDP's Judy Wasylycia-Leis for sabotaging the Liberals in the 2006 election.

Goodale was re-elected to the House of Commons in the general election on January 23, 2006, but the Conservatives won government and he lost his cabinet position.

He was named Opposition House Leader by interim Liberal leader Bill Graham in 2006, and continued to serve in this role under the leaderships of Stéphane Dion and Michael Ignatieff until September 2010 when he was promoted to Deputy Leader.

After the Liberals' defeat and Paul Martin's election-night announcement that he would resign 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."

On March 13, 2006, the Toronto Star reported that Goodale was reconsidering his decision, and stated that he may enter the Liberal leadership election after all.

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, who pleaded guilty in 2010.