Former Liberal cabinet minister Marc Garneau announced his resignation from his role as an MP on Wednesday, bringing his nearly 20-year political career to a close.
In a speech to the House of Commons, Garneau spoke fondly of his time in Parliament and thanked his staff, his fellow Parliamentarians and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for their support.
“I’d like to apologize to my constituents for leaving before the end of my full term,” he said, before expressing his gratitude for everyone from the cleaners and pages in the House of Commons to his caucus colleagues and opposition members.
He spoke of the challenges the role takes on the families of MPs, and issued a challenge to both young Canadians looking for ways to serve their country and to the members of federal parties in the House.
“Find your better angels,” he urged colleagues on all sides of the House of Commons.
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“Put away the anger and false indignation. Criticize, by all means, but do it with respect, and maybe even wit. Make Canadians proud of this House, and the people in it.”
Garneau, who sat on the House of Commons special joint committee on medical assistance in dying, said he promised his family last fall he would retire after tabling the committee’s final report last month. He also chaired the Indigenous and northern affairs committee.
“We will miss him as a colleague and a friend here in this House,” Trudeau said in a speech on Wednesday.
“Even in his last act here in the House he continues to push us, as he always pushed himself, to do our very best in our very best of ways to serve Canadians.”
Following Garneau’s speech, MPs from all parties stood in line to shake his hand.
The Globe and Mail and the National Post reported earlier on Wednesday that the former astronaut announced his resignation to Trudeau earlier this week and was expected to break the news to the Liberal caucus meeting Wednesday.
He did not directly confirm the news himself when asked about the reports on the way to caucus Wednesday morning.
He is the current MP for the Montreal-area riding of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount.
Before heading home to Montreal, Garneau told reporters “it’s kind of crazy” to be leaving the House of Commons.
Garneau served as Canada’s minister of foreign affairs from January to October 2021. Before that, he was also the minister of transport for five years in the Trudeau government.
Prior to politics, Garneau was well known for being one of the first six Canadian astronauts. He became the first Canadian to fly to space in 1984.
He went on to lead the Canadian Space Agency from 2001 to 2005.
— with files from The Canadian Press