It is conventional wisdom that the federal Liberals head into an election this year with few strong players to sell their message in Quebec. They have few allies in the province and just a handful of seats.
Federal cabinet ministers from Quebec routinely are crucified in Quebec media, by the separatist Quebec government and even by Quebec provincial Liberals.
Ralph Goodale is a notable exception.
When the pride of Wilcox, Sask., goes to Quebec, he consistently receives the kind of reception that most of his federal cabinet colleagues can only imagine in their most optimistic dreams.
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He is welcomed by farmers and by members of the provincial farm lobby more renowned for chewing up politicians than for praising them. He is held up for praise, in contrast to the lambasting that Quebec farmers now are giving their provincial agriculture minister.
Consider the scene last December when Goodale appeared before the annual convention of the Union des Producteurs Agricoles. The day before, UPA delegates had roasted provincial minister Guy Julien for his government’s proposed environmental restrictions that will accompany right-to-farm legislation.
By comparison, Goodale appeared shortly after an international trade panel upheld federal arguments that supply-management tariff protections are legal, despite a challenge from the Americans.
The federal minister was thanked, praised and applauded by the delegates and by UPA president Laurent Pellerin.
In fact, Pellerin used Goodale’s good standing to rub salt in the wound of the separatist Julien.
“The federal government won the NAFTA decision in our minds, not you,” the UPA president told the Parti QuŽbecois minister.
Pellerin has a simple explanation for the reception that the unilingual Goodale receives from the French-speaking Quebec farmers.
The minister has faced tough issues, has listened carefully to advice from the farm community and then has made decisions. Whatever the decision, farmers appreciate his style.
“Quebec farmers make a distinction between federal government policies and Mr. Goodale,” Pellerin said in an interview. “In other provinces, I know that he may not be so popular because he did a lot of work for (finance minister Paul) Martin but Mr. Goodale is a very able politician and the people in Quebec have respect for that.”
So will that make Goodale a campaign asset for the Liberals in rural Quebec, once the campaign begins?
Pellerin laughed.
“I think they respect him but they don’t agree with him on his political choices,” said the UPA president.
“I think farmers will tell the Liberals they don’t agree with the milk subsidy disappearance and some other big changes Mr. Goodale has made.”
He said he expects rural areas to vote as they have in the recent past.
In other words, Goodale should enjoy the sound of the applause but his party should not expect those applauding hands to then put an ‘X’ beside their local Liberal on voting day.
