Ralph Goodale’s Dec. 12 appointment as finance minister in the new Liberal government of Paul Martin should be good news for prairie farmers, says a political scientist.
“I think this is very favourable for farmers,” said Howard Leeson, a University of Regina political scientist and former senior Saskatchewan government official. “The finance minister and his officials have so much influence on the final shape of packages coming out of government that it can’t be anything but helpful if he understands the plight of agriculture and lives with it.”
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In fact, the last time the finance minister was a westerner and former agriculture minister was 1991-93 when Don Mazankowski sent record amounts of aid to prairie farmers.
On Dec. 12, Goodale received a promotion to one of the three most powerful positions in the new government. It was the latest milestone in a political career that began with his election to Parliament in 1974 for one term and then several years as Saskatchewan Liberal leader and sole party MLA.
In the new cabinet, Goodale lost the responsibility for the Canadian Wheat Board that he had carried through various portfolios since 1993, when he was elected a Regina MP. It would be deemed a conflict for a finance minister who controls the purse strings to also have responsibility for any other government operation that may call on the public purse.
However, an aide to Goodale said the minister will be able to keep an eye on the wheat board, agriculture or any other policy file that interests him. “I suspect he’ll see this as a window into everything,” he said.
Fellow Regina MP and New Democrat Dick Proctor said Goodale is in the position to help agriculture when it needs help.
“It’s too early to say if he’ll do that,” said Proctor. “The last time Goodale and Martin got together on agriculture was in 1995 when he was agriculture minister and Martin was finance and we saw the largest cuts ever in agriculture funding. We’ll see what happens.”
