Make it 8-straight: Liberal Ralph Goodale 'so proud of Wascana'

Ralph Goodale has been here before. His victory speech, however, started differently this time around.

"How about those Blue Jays?" Goodale said.

The long-time Member of Parliament was elected for the eighth-straight time in Monday's federal election.

"Tonight, I am just so proud of Wascana," Goodale said. "Proud and grateful for this great constituency. This is my fifteenth election campaign. We lost five, but we've won ten."

As supporters cheered, Goodale said this victory may be the sweetest of them all.

"I want to thank all of the people of Wascana, regardless of how they voted," he said. "I want to thank them for their loyalty, their trust, and their confidence. And I will do my very best to live up to their expectations."

While 66-year-old Goodale is used to winning by now, his lead in the 2015 federal election is significant.

In 2011, he beat Conservative candidate Ian Shields by only 1,532 votes with about 40 per cent of the vote. As of 10 p.m. CST and 164 of 173 polls, Goodale led by nearly 9,500 votes with 54.9 per cent of the vote.

Goodale, whowas first elected to Parliament when he was only 24 years old in the 1974 election,went on to thank all his colleagues in Saskatchewan. He becomes the only MP to serve in the governments of both Pierre and Justin Trudeau.

"To the other 13 Liberal candidates who were running in all the ridings in Saskatchewan in this campaign, that I respect and admire very much," he said. "You have managed to elevate the Liberal vote right across this province. And you have given us a great foundation upon which to build for the future."