Canadian Astronauts To Become Politicians
Canadian Astronauts That Became Politicians
Marc Garneau
Marc Garneau, a Canadian naval officer, astronaut, and politician, was the first Canadian citizen to venture into space in 1984. Garneau received a B.S. in engineering physics from the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, in 1970, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Imperial College of Science and Technology in London, England, in 1973. He served in the Canadian navy from 1974 to 1989. Garneau was one of the first six Canadian astronauts selected in 1983. He made history as the first Canadian to journey to space when he served as a payload specialist on the U.S. space shuttle in October 1984, conducting several Canadian experiments. After retiring from the military in 1989, Garneau became deputy director of the Canadian astronaut program.
Marc Garneau, a Canadian naval officer, astronaut, and politician, made three spaceflights during his career. He received a B.S. in engineering physics from the Royal Military College and a doctorate in electrical engineering from Imperial College of Science and Technology. Garneau became one of the first six Canadian astronauts in 1983 and flew aboard the U.S. space shuttle as a payload specialist in 1984, becoming the first Canadian in space. In 1992, he began astronaut mission specialist training with NASA, and he made two more spaceflights in 1996 and 2000. During these missions, he was responsible for various Canadian experiments and operated the shuttle's robotic arm to help deploy the first set of solar arrays for the International Space Station (ISS). In February 2001, Garneau became executive vice president of the Canadian Space Agency, and in November of the same year, he was appointed president of the agency.
Garneau stepped down from the CSA in November 2005 to pursue a seat in Parliament during the March 2006 election. He was unsuccessful, but he won a seat in October 2008 as a member of the Liberal Party representing the Montreal district of Westmount–Ville-Marie. Garneau continued to represent the district until 2015 when it was redrawn, and he was subsequently elected to represent Notre-Dame-de-Grace–Westmount. Soon after, he was appointed as the Minister of Transport by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a position he held until January 2021, when he became the Minister of Foreign Affairs. However, he was replaced nine months later.
