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Ralph Goodale will soon be back to work for the Canadian government, this time as the high commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Goodale had been appointed to the post Wednesday.
Goodale will have to pick up and move to London where he’ll be based most of the time, heading to an office on Trafalgar Square.
“(It’s) one of the finest locations in the United Kingdom. It’s a great spot,” Goodale said.
In the position, Goodale will be tasked with advising the prime minister on files that are important to both countries.
“Ralph Goodale’s decades of experience will continue to serve Canadians well in his new position,” Trudeau said in a news release.
“As a trusted advisor in London, he will work to further strengthen the friendship between our two countries while we work together to tackle our greatest challenges, and continue to offer thoughtful and heartfelt advice on behalf of Canadians.”
Goodale said the relationship between Canada and the U.K. is enormous and important to both countries including economic, cultural, national security and diplomatic matters.
“There’s a tremendous, enduring foundation of the relationship between Canada and the U.K. and it’s a huge privilege to be able to work with that and try to make better something that is already very, very good,” said Goodale.
He said he’s going to be very busy with the G7 and climate change meetings coming up soon. Goodale also mentioned the trade deal between the two countries.
“We have an interim deal to cover the period immediately after Brexit, but everybody agrees we want a bigger and more permanent long-term trading agreement between Canada and the U.K. to effectively replace what was there when the U.K. was in the European Union,” said Goodale.
Goodale will be heading to London in the next few days and admitted the pandemic makes any kind of travel logistically complicated right now. But he won’t be a stranger to Canada.
“I will keep my roots very solidly in Saskatchewan and in Regina,” the former Regina-Wascana MP said.
Goodale said part of the job is making sure he’s up on what’s happening in Canada and he’ll be keeping an eye open for his home province.
“I will always have a particular eye open to opportunities that relate to Saskatchewan and good things that can be accomplished for Saskatchewan,” he said.
Goodale mentioned the wheat market and the interest in Saskatchewan in small modular reactors in particular.
He isn’t sure how long he’ll be in the posting. Goodale said it’s typically between four and six years but that could change at any time depending on the prime minister.
Goodale had been a Saskatchewan MP since 1993 but lost the 2019 election to Conservative challenger Michael Kram.
For the past year, Goodale has been a special advisor to the prime minister when it comes to Canada’s response to Iran’s shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, and he will keep providing expertise on that file while in London.
