Harper government says it didn’t snub Marc Garneau

OTTAWA – The Harper government denies it snubbed former astronaut and Liberal MP Marc Garneau by not inviting him to a Canadarm exhibit.

Garneau is miffed he wasn’t invited to an exhibit at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa that features the robotic arm.

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Garneau operated the Canadarm on two of his three space missions and lobbied to have the Canadarm displayed at the museum. But a spokesman for Heritage Minister James Moore says the space agency and the museum issued the invitations and Moore’s office was not consulted.

The Canadian-invented robotic arm, featured on the new five-dollar bill, was a key part of NASA’s space shuttle program for almost 30 years until the arm was retired in 2011.

Another Liberal MP, Mauril Belanger, was at the opening. The museum is in his Ottawa riding and Belanger says he was surprised when he discovered Garneau had not been invited.