Like him or not, you have to respect Ralph Goodale, the Member of Parliament for Regina Wascana. Until the recent election he was the Minister of Finance and now he is the House Leader for the liberal Official Opposition.
The liberals lost power to the conservatives primarily over the Sponsorship Scandal. At this point it would have been easy for Goodale to simply float to the next election and then announce he was retiring.
In “The Goodale Report,” which he regularly sends out to his constituents he noted that it was a distinct privilege to represent his constituents for the 5th consecutive time. He then promises to represent all the people regardless of how they voted and that he will do his best to represent Wascana honestly and effectively. So far this isn’t sounding like retirement.
Further, he is being pressured to run for the leadership of the liberal party. Personally, I believe his resume stacks up fairly well against the other candidates who have declared or are considering running for the liberal top job.
Ralph Goodale has made politics his life. He apparently loves the business of politics, but eventually your time passes. He has been immensely successful. His time has not yet passed and it seems it is not about to pass for a while yet.
Ralph Goodale has been in politics a long time and he has worked hard at the job. He has honestly served his country, his province and his constituents. All of this and he still has a passion for the job.
Unlike many politicians, Ralph Goodale has earned your respect. Whether or not you pay him the respect he deserves is your problem!