Senior Liberal MP Marc Garneau resigns after 15 years in office
Before running for office, Garneau became the first Canadian in space after taking part in three NASA shuttle missions. He also served as the head of the Canadian Space Agency from 2001 until 2006.
Amid ongoing allegations of foreign interference by China, veteran Liberal MP and former minister Marc Garneau announced Wednesday he is resigning from his seat after serving Canadians in office for 15 years.
Garneau, who served as foreign affairs and transport minister under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, informed his party's Quebec caucus Wednesday morning before sharing the news with the national caucus. He is set to address his departure to the House of Commons in a speech.
"Out of respect, I wish to talk to my caucus first," he told reporters as he entered the meeting.
His colleagues confirmed the news of his departure and praised Garneau for his public service.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos described Garneau's resignation as a "great shock" and said his departure represents a "great loss" for all Canadians.
"He is a very righteous man. He stands for his convictions, and he is a good friend. I'm really sad to see him go," added Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.
"When thinking about Marc Garneau, we think about a man who has always served Canadians. [He] is a great Canadian and one of the first to inspire us by going to space [and] taking risks."
PM Trudeau refuses to answer when and what he knew about the Chinese Communist Party interfering with our elections.
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) March 8, 2023
"I know, that no matter what I say, Canadians continue to have questions about what we did, and what we didn't."
Help us: https://t.co/KpV1WD809u pic.twitter.com/a57SdDXvQ1
Before running for office, Garneau became the first Canadian in space after taking part in three NASA shuttle missions. He also served as the head of the Canadian Space Agency from 2001 until 2006.
Industry Minister Francois Philippe Champagne described his colleague as a man of integrity who always followed his convictions and was always available.
"He's an inspiring figure for those who came in 2015. He is a man who inspires respect, and he is a man who inspires achievement," said Champagne.
After losing his first bid in 2006, Garneau won in 2008 and served as MP for the riding of Westmount-Ville-Marie — now Notre-Dame-de-Grace - Westmount — for 15 years.
Garneau led a failed bid for leadership of the Liberal Party in 2013, losing to Justin Trudeau, who he criticized for lacking substance and being an "untested, inexperienced rookie." He ultimately withdrew his candidacy to support Trudeau and became a "loyal soldier."
After the Liberals won in 2015, Garneau served as Transportation Minister until early 2021 before being promoted to Minister of Foreign Affairs until the federal election later that year. Trudeau shuffled out the senior Liberal MP from the role and Cabinet after the 2021 federal election.
Guest host @TamaraUgo examined allegations surrounding Toronto-area MP Han Dong that claim he is a witting asset of the Chinese Communist Party.https://t.co/5VU8zoup6I
— Rebel News Québec (@RebelNews_QC) March 8, 2023
Garneau recently made headlines for butting heads with his party over Bill C-13, an official languages bill that seeks protections for linguistic minorities across the country, emphasizing French.
Garneau vocalized his opposition to amendments by the Bloc Québécois, Conservatives and NDP that implementing C-13 would be done while respecting provincial jurisdiction, including the Quebec Charter of the French Language, and that the Charter would have precedent on incompatible dispositions of the federal law.
"In other words, if there is a conflicting interpretation between C-13 and the Quebec Charter of the French Language, Bill 96 would prevail, a law which, by the way, cannot be challenged because of the preemptive use of the notwithstanding clause," said Garneau in French.
Joly doesn't attribute his departure to this bill, adding, "Marc Garneau's career is [much] bigger than one single file."
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