Then Minister of Foreign Affairs Marc Garneau addressed a gathering with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on May 19, 2021, at the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland (Pool Photo via AP/Saul Loeb).
Following his 15-year tenure in politics, Liberal MP and former federal cabinet minister Marc Garneau has announced his resignation from his seat in the House of Commons. Garneau represents the constituency of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount in Montreal, and has been serving as a Member of Parliament since his election in 2008.
Prior to his resignation, Garneau served as the federal transport minister for nearly five years before briefly taking on the role of Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2021. While Garneau has not released any reasons for his departure, he revealed to reporters in Ottawa on March 8 that he would be making a statement to the House later in the day.
Garneau further stated that he wished to withhold specific details of his resignation from the press until he had discussed the matter with his caucus colleagues “out of respect.” He also expressed his willingness to speak with media representatives following question period in the House on March 8.
Before entering politics, Garneau was one of the initial six Canadian astronauts and became the first Canadian to journey into space in 1984. He subsequently headed the Canadian Space Agency from 2001 to 2005.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.