Ralph Goodale, Liberal Party of Canada

Personal details. Name, age, hometown

Ralph Goodale. Born in 1949 in Regina. Raised on a family farm near Wilcox. Post-secondary degrees from both the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan. Regina has been my hometown for nearly 50 years.

Tell us about yourself

Married to the wonderful Pamela for more than 33 years, I have a diversified background in farming, business, broadcasting and law, as well as federal and provincial politics. Elected once provincially and nine times federally, I don’t believe in taking the path of least resistance. My approach to political life is based on three principles:

1. You always have to earn and re-earn the voters’ trust. There is no entitlement. Never take anyone’s support for granted. Always assume you’re 50 votes behind and work hard to find them.

2. You have to stay closely involved in the day-to-day life of your community, constantly engaged and learning, and readily accessible all the time, not just during elections.

3. Substance is the most important thing. Mere slogans on bumper stickers don’t solve real-life problems.

What’s a little-known fact about you?

I enjoy musical theatre — “Come from Away” is terrific!

Why should voters hire you?

From the very early federal investments in Agribition, to the Big Dig of Wascana Lake and the indoor soccer facility at Evraz Place, to the most recent work on Globe Theatre, College Avenue Campus, Regina’s transit system, water system, housing stock, streets and roads, I have a proven record of getting good things done for this community.

That includes major economic developments like the new Plant Protein Innovation SuperCluster, based here, which is expected to generate 4,500 good jobs over the coming decade, coupled with an exciting plan to link Diefenbaker Lake to the Qu’Appelle Valley to flood-proof, drought-proof, expand irrigation and trigger value-added growth. I also worked hard to get rid of U.S. steel tariffs and to fund a $40-million federal investment in innovation at Evraz, to protect more than 1,100 good Regina jobs.

I’ve always tried to ensure that those in our community without the loudest voices or the biggest bank accounts can be heard, included and treated fairly — like low-income inner-city kids who need a swimming pool. That’s also why an effective plan to fight homelessness is so important, as are our investments in multiculturalism to combat racism, and the Canada Child Benefit that has helped to lift 300,000 kids out of poverty.

We need to keep moving forward.

Who should we call for a reference?

While I have never asked them to vouch for me, you might check with people as diverse as former Premier Roy Romanow or Lutheran Pastor Dennis Hendrickson or former Prime Minister Paul Martin.

What is your greatest strength?

My spouse and best friend, Pamela.

What is your greatest weakness?

Long, detailed answers to seemingly short questions.

Where do you stand on:

Gun laws? I have always supported practical measures to promote public safety and assist law enforcement, without imposing in an unreasonable way on ordinary, law-abiding firearms owners. Our most recent legislation strengthens background checks, ensures licence verification at the time of a firearms transaction, standardizes good record-keeping by businesses selling firearms, improves rules relating to the transportation of restricted/prohibited weapons, and promotes a non-political classification system. Well-received thus far by law enforcement and by a large proportion of Canadians, it will be important to ensure that these new laws are properly and efficiently implemented with high standards of timely service provided to those who are seeking to comply.

To complement this new law, I have also worked in a practical manner to develop a national crime prevention strategy aimed especially at the dangerous combination of crime guns and gangs. We are investing close to $330 million over the coming five years, and then $100 million annually thereafter, to better support the RCMP, the Canada Border Services Agency, provincial governments, communities, local law enforcement agencies and NGOs to keep young people out of gangs, to help those who have become ensnared to get out, to charge and prosecute gang leaders, and to interdict the criminal flow of firearms both across the border and within the country.

The need for more pipelines? We need to get our western resources to world markets so we can benefit from world prices. Shipping energy products by pipeline is safer and cheaper than using railways, and when coupled with an appropriate regulatory review system, it can be accomplished in a manner that is also environmentally sound.

I have been a consistent supporter of five major pipeline projects — Keystone XL, Nova Gas, Enbridge Line-3, LNG Canada, and TMX. Together they represent not only better market access, but also billions of dollars of investment and thousands of good jobs. Others will undoubtedly come forward for review in the future.

Correcting past deficiencies, we have sought a new review process that is credible and science-based with respect to the environment, respectful and inclusive with respect to Indigenous and other communities, and efficient from the perspective of business investors. It needs to have a beginning and an end with clear rules, producing a result that can be relied upon. Contentious issues should be identified early in the process, so they don’t fester and then derail the whole result later on though multiple lawsuits. The system we inherited from the previous government clearly failed. We are striving to make it better.

Western alienation? I have worked all my political life to help deal with the divisive issues that give rise to feelings of alienation. It is not healthy for Canada when any region of the country feels aggrieved. That’s why I supported a $4.5-billion federal investment in TMX, to ensure that this project could be properly and fairly pursued despite political roadblocks presented by the NDP government of British Columbia. For the same reason, I supported new legislation to give farmers and other western shippers some real clout for the first time in dealing with railways, including reciprocal penalties. For the same reason, I supported a federal investment of more than $100 million to secure a functioning railway and export corridor through Churchill. For the same reason, when I was Canada’s finance minister, I corrected several old problems in the equalization formula and thus generated the biggest-ever bonus payment ($800 million) to Saskatchewan. And for the same reason, I have been pushing to finish the original plan for the South Saskatchewan River Project to link Diefenbaker Lake to the Qu’Appelle Valley and thus flood-proof and drought-proof a large portion of southern Saskatchewan.

I believe the Government of Canada must work hard every day to make all parts of this big, diverse and contentious country feel fully respected, included and at ease.

China? What should our approach be with some of our markets blocked? An overriding consideration is, of course, the fact that Canadian citizens are under arrest and in jeopardy in China. It is critical to proceed in a thoughtful manner. The complexities we face are compounded by an ongoing trade war of huge proportions between China and the United States.

We are grateful for the long list of other countries around the world which have come forward to express solidarity with Canada’s position. This is helpful in the global arena.

We have sought and appointed an experienced, well-respected individual to become Canadian Ambassador to China, Dominic Barton. He has been accepted in that role by the Chinese government. That is an encouraging step.

We have launched legal proceedings to formally challenge the market limitations imposed by China.

We are vigorously pursuing market diversification into many other countries around the world. And we’re supporting producers, both in the pursuit of those new markets and with measures to offset costs and supplement their incomes.

The way forward is a delicate combination of diplomacy, toughness and persistence in dealing with an unprecedented situation — outside the normal conventions of international behaviour. Both livelihoods and lives are at stake.

Are we facing a climate change crisis? Is carbon tax the answer? A good place to start on this answer is with the clear majority judgment handed down earlier this year by the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal and subsequently corroborated by an even stronger majority in the Court of Appeal of Ontario. Those two courts found the following:

1. Climate Change is real.

2. It is caused by human activity.

3. It is an existential threat to our planet.

4. Putting a price on pollution is essential, necessary and indispensable.

5. Pollution pricing has proven to be effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

6. Pollution pricing is not a “tax.”

7. The federal legislation is fully within federal jurisdiction.

In other words, these totally independent courts in two different provinces have — on the basis of evidence produced in court — demolished the partisan arguments being advanced by conservatives as simply false and unsustainable.

It is also important to note that after pollution pricing was introduced in Saskatchewan in April, retail fuel prices came down, the overall cost of living has moderated, economic growth has continued, and employment in Saskatchewan has reached its highest level in history. Conservative forecasts of economic doom have not materialized.

The most tangible evidence of climate change on the prairies is in more frequent, more severe and more costly storms, floods, droughts and wildfires. Cumulative costs and losses over the past decade have added up to billions of dollars — more than ever before. To mitigate and adapt to these consequences, we have presented a comprehensive plan. It includes pollution pricing, but also at least 50 other vital measures that need to be considered as a coherent whole.

For example, every penny raised from pollution pricing in Saskatchewan remains in this province and is recirculated to help expand Saskatchewan’s economy. We’re providing a financial incentive to every household to reduce their energy consumption. It’s a bonus, not a penalty. For eight out of 10 households, that incentive is substantially higher than their energy cost increases — i.e., at the bottom line, their energy costs are actually being reduced.

We have also invested (so far) close to $175 million in Saskatchewan for power generation from landfill gases, geothermal, biomass and solar sources, for energy conservation in small businesses and schools, for flood mitigation and wildfire prevention. Other federal measures also include tangible support for new and cleaner technologies that will give a province like Saskatchewan a leg up in competing successfully in a carbon-constrained world economy.

It’s a day off and you can do anything you want. What would it be?

Visit more of Saskatchewan’s unique places, off the beaten track, to constantly learn more about our fascinating history, geography and idiosyncrasies. Next stop: The Churchill River and then the Great Sandhills.

Who inspires you?

Nelson Mandela. His strength and patience. His amazing ability NOT to harbour bitterness. It was an honour to meet and learn from him.

What is your hidden talent?

Amateur landscaping.

What do you wish you could do, but can’t?

Speak fluent French (and other languages).

Who are three people, dead or alive, that you’d love to have dinner with?

Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther (the theologian) and Connie Kaldor.

How do you take your coffee?

Black with one sugar (and by the time I get to it, luke-warm).

What’s the one album you’d take with you on a desert island? What embarrassing song do you admit to on your playlist?

Abbey Road. Rasputin (Boney M).

What is your guilty pleasure?

KFC and/or Cheezies.

What is the last book you read?

Rick Mercer, Final Report.

What is your favourite TV show? What are you binge watching?

The News. Downton Abbey.

What is your all-time favourite movie?

Bridge Over the River Kwai.