The Honourable Ralph Goodale PC MP

The Honourable Ralph Goodale PC MP

  Friday, October 14, 2016    Ron Field

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The Hon. Ralph Goodale has been appointed the Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Preparedness. I wanted to know what the responsibilities were for this position and found the following information on Wikipedia.

“The Minister of Public Safety, formerly the Solicitor General and then the Minister of Public Safety

and Emergency Preparedness, is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government’s domestic security department, Public Safety Canada. The position was nominally created in 2003 and incorporated the responsibilities associated with the Solicitor General including responsibility for the federal Canadian prison system (Correctional Service of Canada), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Parole Board of Canada, and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, although the incumbent was formally sworn in as Solicitor General of Canada. The position also assumed responsibility for the Canada Border Services Agency which was formerly known as Canada Customs and was administered by the Minister of National Revenue prior to 2003. In 2005 the creation of the position was formalized and that of Solicitor General abolished.” Source: Wikipedia

Mr. Goodale has previously held the following positions.

Canada's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom - 2021 
Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party 2010 – 2015
Opposition House Leader 2006 – 2010
Minister of Finance 2003 – 2006
Minister of Public Works and Government Services 2002 – 2003
Minister of State 2002
Minister of Natural Resource 1997 – 2002

Mr. Goodale’s family originated from England. His grandfather, Albert Edward Hathaway Goodale at 24 years of age left Liverpool, England on April 4th 1901 aboard the S.S. Numidian and landed in Portland. He was listed as a farmer and his final destination was shown to be Winnipeg, Canada. On the 1st of April 1911 in Daly, Manitoba, Albert Goodale married Frances Chapman the daughter of William and Lucy Chapman. Albert and Frances had three children the first being born in Saskatchewan in 1912.

Albert Goodale had 10 siblings and was the son of Henry Goodale and Harriet Hathaway of Mortlake, Surrey. Henry’s sister was Martha Goodale my 2nd great grandmother and she married Philip Field. Ralph, his sister and I are 3rd cousins once removed from my fathers side of the family.

There’s also a family connection to the famous Victorian actor Edward Smith Willard, actor Edmund Willard and English author Barbara Willard.

The family and I keep in touch via email.

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