Ralph Edward Goodale (born 1949 in Canada's current Minister of Finance

Goodale was raised on a farm near Wilcox, Saskatchewan and had stayed in the province for his entire life, attending the University of Regina The University of Regina (UofR) is a degree granting instituition located in the southeast quadrant of Regina and University of Saskatchewan

Active in politics from a young age he was first elected to parliament in 1974 at the age of twenty-four. He served as back bench MP until 1981 when he moved to provincial politics to become leader of the Saskatchewan Liberal Party which he remained until 1988

After a failed attempt to win a federal seat in the 1988 election Goodale spent five years in the private sector before returning to the federal parliament in 1993


As a member of the new Chrétien government Goodale was entered into the Cabinet becoming Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food In the Cabinet of Canada. In 1997 he became the Minister of Natural Resources.

Goodale maintained a squeaky clean reputation and in 2002 he was sent to the scandal plagued portfolio of Minister of Public Works and Government Services

Long a close ally of Paul Martin, Goodale was rewarded with the extremely important role of Finance Minister when Martin became Prime Minister on December 12, 2003

Goodale was preceded by: Don Boudria (born August 30, 1949) in Hull, Quebec.
A Canadian politician, Boudria is currently a member of the Liberal Party of Canada in the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Glengarry-Prescott-Russell since 1984. Boudria is a former public servant. He is a former Minister for International Cooperation, Minister responsible for La Francophonie, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, Minister of State, and Minister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. He was also the Chief Government Whip. He is currently the chair of the Standing Committee on Official Languages.

Serving Agriculture:
Canada's Ministers of Agriculture
Ralph Goodale
November 4, 1993 - June 11, 1997

Ralph Goodale (1949- ) Birthplace Regina, Saskatchewan

Federal Constituency Assiniboia, Regina-Wascana (Saskatchewan)

Education University of Regina (BA, 1971), University of Saskatchewan (LLB, 1972)

Professional Background Called to the Saskatchewan bar in 1973, member of Law Society of Saskatchewan; special assistant to the minister of justice and attorney general (1973-74); operated family farm until 1975; worked for CBC News and Public Affairs (1968-72)

Political Affiliation Liberal

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"We were aiming for a partnership with farmers and the provinces . . . trying to grow the pie rather than haggling over the size of the piece." -- Don Mazankowski, 1997
Political Career
Goodale was elected to the House of Commons in 1974 for the large rural constituency of Assiniboia. Over the next five years, he occupied a variety of positions, including parliamentary secretary to several ministers, among others minister of transport, minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board, president of the Privy Council and deputy prime minister.

As parliamentary secretary to the minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board, Goodale piloted the Western Grain Stabilization Program through Parliament in 1976.

Between 1974 and 1979, he was also vice-chairman of the House of Commons standing committee on agriculture, vice-chairman of the special joint committee on the northern gas pipeline, deputy government whip and chairman of the government's prairie caucus.

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

He was elected MLA for Assiniboia-Gravelbourg in the 1986 Saskatchewan election. He resigned from provincial politics to run as the Liberal candidate for Regina-Wascana in the 1988 federal election but was defeated.

For the next five years, Goodale took a break from politics and worked as director of regulatory affairs and corporate secretary of Pioneer Life Assurance Company and Pioneer Lifeco Inc., both Regina-based financial institutions, and as corporate secretary of Sovereign Life Insurance Co.

When he was re-elected as MP for Regina-Wascana in October 1993, he was appointed minister of agriculture and agri-food. After the January 1996 cabinet shuffle, he also was appointed chairman of the cabinet committee on economic development policy.

Goodale was re-elected in 1997 and transferred to the natural resources portfolio. He is still the minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board.

Industry Issues
Goodale's term as minister coincided with government budget cuts to programs and services, as well as a rapid expansion of export markets and information technology for the agriculture sector. The Liberal government's focus on restraining spending and cutting the deficit reduced the level of financial and administrative support the department could offer producers and processors. Fortunately, strong world grain prices reduced the need for government support.

"Team Canada" trade missions and enhanced market information available through new online support services helped create new opportunities for innovative production and marketing. The Uruguay round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade was completed in December 1993 and implemented in August 1996. The creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) helped Canadian producers and agri-businesses secure access to world markets.

Departmental Developments
The 1995 Budget announced that federal government food inspection services would be consolidated into a new agency called the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The department rose to the challenge of transforming its current inspection services, administered by the Food Production and Inspection Branch, into a consolidated agency that would also include inspection responsibilities and personnel formerly under the jurisdiction of Health Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

In 1995, in co-operation with Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, the department created the Agri-Food Trade Service (ATS) to give exporters easy access to government programs, market information, trade regulations and other types of support. The industry set a goal of $20 billion in annual agricultural exports by the year 2000. In 1996 the sector exported $19.95 billion worth of agri-food products.

The Rural Secretariat was established to co-ordinate the work of federal departments and agencies focused on the economic renewal of rural communities.

Accomplishments as Minister
The Agricultural Marketing Programs Act (effective 1997) replaced four previous programs. It provides more efficient administration of interest-free cash advances to help producers market their products.

The end of both the "Crow Rate" subsidies for prairie grain transport (the Western Grain Transportation Act) and the feed freight assistance subsidy to livestock producers outside the Prairies (1995) encouraged efficiency and self-sufficiency in the grain and livestock sectors. A one-time payment of $1.6 billion, with an additional $300 million in adjustment funds over the next three years, helped former beneficiaries adapt and invest in new opportunities.
 

The Western Grain Marketing Panel consulted industry and offered suggestions to modernize the governance of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), provide greater flexibility in CWB operations and services, and offer farmers a wider range of grain marketing options. As the minister responsible for the CWB, Goodale continues to work on amendments to the Canadian Wheat Board Act based on the panel's July 1996 recommendations.

Goodale provided leadership during the Canadian government's successful defence of supply management principles against an American challenge through a North American Free Trade Agreement dispute panel. The panel upheld Canada's right to apply tariffs to certain U.S. imports.

The Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development Fund (1996) provides $60 million annually for national and local rural development and community diversification programs.

The Matching Investment Initiative (1995) allows the department to match, one for one, industry contributions to collaborative scientific research projects.

By mid-1997, more than 1,000 agreements on projects totalling more than $42 million in research and development had been established.

Date Modified: 2003-06-03 Important Notices

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26th Ministry - Government of Jean Chrétien

Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (born January 11, 1934, Shawinigan, Quebec) was the twentieth Prime Minister of Canada, serving from November 4, 1993, to December 12, 2003.

CHRÉTIEN, JEAN JOSEPH JACQUES	Don Boudria	GOODALE, RALPH EDWARD Photographer: Andy Shott © House of Commons

26th Ministry - Government of Jean Chrétien

Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (born January 11, 1934, Shawinigan, Quebec) was the twentieth Prime Minister of Canada, serving from November 4, 1993, to December 12, 2003.