A special visit by a federal politician. Liberal House leader and former federal agricultural minister, Ralph Goodale, made a visit to Owen Sound last night. Goodale was a guest at a special fundraising dinner by the Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound Liberal Riding Association at Stone Tree. Goodale says its important for the Liberal party to be prepared in advance for an election. He says people don’t want an election for no purpose, other than they want a change in government. Goodale says the recent allegations by the Chief Electoral Officer could make big problems for the Conservatives. Elections Canada and the Conservative party have been engaged in a protracted legal battle over alleged campaign spending irregularities in the 2006 election. Goodale says this is not a minor problem they can just sweep under the carpet. He says its serious the elections officer says there is something wrong in the Conservatives financial books. On the agricultural side of things, Goodale says the Conservatives are doing little to help the farmers. He says substantial improvements are needed in business risk management. Goodale says while grain prices have improved, they can be volatile. Goodale says its a good time for the province and feds to work together on business risk management tools. He says they need to be simple, understandable and reliable so farmers know what they’ve got. Thom Noble is currently the only candidate for the federal nomination in the Bruce Grey Owen Sound riding. An election date has not been set.
