Former federal ag minister and Regina-area MP Ralph Goodale has been named deputy leader of the federal Liberals in advance of the party’s return to Parliament this fall.
Party leader Michael Ignatieff, who on Tuesday also added a new rural affairs critic portfolio to his shadow cabinet, said in a release that Goodale will be expected to take an active role in Ottawa while Ignatieff continues on his current touring schedule.
“One thing we’ve heard loud and clear is that Canadians are demanding a political leader who is out there with them, meeting them face-to-face, listening to their concerns, talking about the kind of country we can build together,” Ignatieff said.
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“As a result, I’m going to continue getting out there and meeting Canadians all through the fall in our ‘Open Mike’ town hall meetings. That’s why I need Ralph’s steady hand in Ottawa working with our new House leader (Ottawa-area MP) David McGuinty, guiding our parliamentary team.”
Goodale, a lawyer whose federal political experience dates back to his stint (1974-79) in the Trudeau administration, returned to the federal scene in 1993, when Jean Chretien named him agriculture minister, a post he held until 1997.
Goodale also spent 10 years (1993-2003) as the federal minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board and later served as Paul Martin’s finance minister (2003-06).
Nova Scotia Liberal MP Mark Eyking, a farmer and former parliamentary secretary for agri-food (2003-04) during the Martin administration, was named Tuesday to the new critic portfolio of rural affairs.
An MP for the Sydney area since 2000, Eyking has been shuffled since 2007 into such critic files as foreign affairs, international development, international co-operation, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), tourism and small business.
Eyking has also served stints on the Commons standing committee on agriculture and agri-food since 2001 and has been its vice-chair since January 2009.
Prince Edward Island MP Wayne Easter, a former National Farmers Union president, remains the Liberals’ critic for agriculture and agri-food and the Canadian Wheat Board, all portfolios he’s shadowed since 2006.
Ignatieff on Tuesday also combined a number of roles within the shadow cabinet. Noteworthy among those for farmers is Toronto-area MP John McCallum, now shuffled into the critic posts for transport, infrastructure and communities.
