Ralph Goodale addresses his supporters after losing his seat in Regina. – TROY FLEECE Goodale was right: Liberals are in a tough spot in the oil patch The MP the Liberals could least afford to lose, but did, put the practical political dilemma facing the government and the nation in fairly clear terms this week. “There’s a very challenging circle to square here. A majority of Canadians on election night voted very clearly for the completion of the Trans Mountain (pipeline) expansion. A very strong majority of Canadians also voted for more vigorous ambition with respect to climate change," Ralph Goodale said Thursday at a gathering in Ottawa of defeated and elected federal Liberals. Goodale was the Liberals’ best hope in the resource-rich west – Alberta and Saskatchewan – but couldn’t deliver Regina-Wascana, the riding he’s held since 1993, against a western tide of anger over Liberal energy and environmental policies. With Goodale’s loss, the Liberals are left without a single member in the two western oil and gas-producing provinces. Just a couple of days before Goodale’s observation, more than 11,000 climate scientists from all over the planet wrote the world a letter leaving no doubt that, from the […]
