CNC News
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appointed former Liberal cabinet minister Ralph Goodale as high commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom.
Goodale was first elected to Parliament in 1974 at the age of 24, representing Assiniboia in Saskatchewan for one term during the government of Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau. After defeat in the 1979 federal election, Goodale in 1981 became leader of the Saskatchewan Liberals and was elected as the Liberals' sole member of the member of the provincial election of 1986.
In 1988 Goodale resigned as provincial Liberal leader to take an unsuccessful run for Member of Parliament for Regina-Wascana in that year's federal election. In the 1993 election he was successful in the same seat, becoming Saskatchewan's only Liberal MP and joining Prime Minister Jean Chretien's cabinet as Minister of Agriculture.
During the Liberal government tenure, Goodale was also appointed Minister of Natural Resources and was then named Minister of Public Works only weeks after the federal Auditor-General began to probe what later became known as the Sponsorship Scandal, which centred on untendered contracts from the Public Works department to Quebec advertising companies that then paid staff for, and and contributed cash to, the Quebec arm of the federal Liberal Party.
After Jean Chretien's replacement as prime minister by Paul Martin in 2004, Goodale was named Finance Minister, the position previously held by Martin.
Goodale continued to be re-elected as Liberal MP for Regina-Wascana during the Harper government and was one of only 34 Liberals elected in their electoral disaster of 2011 under Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff.
With the Liberals' return to government in 2015, Goodale was appointed Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. In the 2019 general election, Goodale lost his seat of Regina-Wascana.
The high commission of Canada in London is the diplomatic mission of Canada to the United Kingdom.