08.16.2012 06:28 AM

Blast off

Marc Garneau is a very impressive guy. Glad to hear he’s thinking about running, and I hope he does.

Justin, meanwhile, remains elusive. I don’t expect Liberals will hear from him or other caucus candidates until after Labour Day.

16 Comments

  1. WDM says:

    It’ just my opinion, but I think Justin is looking for a way NOT to run. His rationale up until this spring seemed quite genuine. I think he wants to be leader someday, I just think he’d rather wait a spell. He’s young, and can afford to wait. I think the only thing pushing him to run early is a concern the party may not be able to wait. Still, life’s more important than politics. Family is much more important, and hopefully someone has told Justin that if he’s not 100% committed to it this time, that he stay out of the race. He can help the party a great deal as an MP as well.

  2. Gary says:

    First off, I like Marc Garneau. But then what do I know…I like Bob Rae too. So where are all the ageism libs who decried Bob for being “too old”?. I mean Garneau is just six months younger than Rae. Or, is ageism only relevant if you don’t like the person?

    • Ronald O'Dowd says:

      Gary,

      You have a very valid point. The question is, if Garneau runs, can he make an impressive splash in Quebec if Justin sits this one out? Put another way, can he come out of the gate in a more impressive fashion than Bob could have ever hoped to? Remains to be seen.

      • bluegreenblogger says:

        Hmm, given how active Trudeau has been, I don’t see him ‘sitting it out’, even if he did not run for the Leadership. Trudeau will be either the man to beat, or a prominent member of that ‘Dream Team’ Garneau is hoping will show up at his door,…or not, but I will bet real folding money that Justin Trudeau will be a key and outspoken presence in this leadership contest one way or another. There will be a splash, to what effect is another matter.

  3. Cynical says:

    I’d love to see Garneau as PM. Imagine, a science guy in the front seat for a change. Maybe we could get policies based on data rather than ideology or expediency.

  4. don craig says:

    I am still puzzled by Garneau’s rant in parliament, about his mail being stolen by an NDP. He was irately claiming contempt of parliament.. Nathan Cullen’s response was that this could have been handled in private.. It appears that it was swept under the rug. Are those the actions of a leader?

    • GFMD says:

      If that’s the worst thing that can be pinned on Mr. Garneau, I welcome him as our next PM (and this is from someone who has become pretty disenchanted with the Liberals).

  5. Jean Proulx says:

    Don Craig – Mr. Garneau’s office did try to deal with it privately. Those efforts were met with contempt by NDP MP Jonathan Tremblay and his staff. Only then did Mr. Garneau make a public comment.

    The mail in question was a package of space shuttle models intended to raise money for a charity that helps sick children. Mr. Garneau was to autograph them before they were sold. The package was clearly labelled to the attention of Mr. Garneau (Mr. Tremblay’s office had previously been occupied by Mr. Garneau). Mr. Tremblay claimed that he was unaware the package was intended for Mr. Garneau. He distributed the space shuttle models to people in his constituency. When the matter was raised with him initially he and his staff acted as if they had done nothing wrong and did not offer to reimburse the value of the models. After Mr. Garneau made public comments, that position changed. Eventually Mr. Tremblay apologized and compensated the charity for the value of the models. Mr. Garneau accepted the apology and the matter was closed.

    How would you have handled it differently if someone tampered with your mail and then (initially at least) did not take responsibility? And yes, tampering with an MP’s mail could be construed as contempt of Parliament.

    Full disclosure: I work for Mr. Garneau.

  6. CanadaDave says:

    I love the idea of M. Garneau running. Given the opportunity that’s a campaign I’d really like to be involved with.

  7. Ted B says:

    I’m a big Garneau fan. But worry about a few things with him:
    – we have shown that we need not just intelligence and real leadership abilities, but real political smarts and political leadership abilities and experience, and I’m not sure he’s got that experience.
    – we need someone who, once chosen, will be there for the long run in order to fully grow into the role, renew the party and get familiar to Canadians. It’s not his age that makes him vulnerable (he’s about the same as Iggy and Rae and age was not their problem) but whether he’ll still be the right guy in 10 years.
    – maybe he’s as cutthroat as he needs to be as leader, but I haven’t seen it yet.

    There is such a strong front bench/cabinet in Liberal ranks, even after the 2011 decimation, and Garneau is chief among them. But I’m just not sure if he’s the right guy right now.

  8. Michael says:

    The Conservatives already have the attack ads in the can.

    “Marc Garneau, he didn’t come back to earth for you.”

  9. bluegreenblogger says:

    I read with interest. Yes, Garneau is a likely candidate. Only fly in the ointment is the thinly disguised recruiting pitch: ‘Dream Team wanted.’ Not exactly the way I would have couched it. I really do not know if it was a deliberate plea for help, or merely something the articles author gave prominent position to, but it reads like a hail mary pass. ““If I find a team, I will run,” Garneau said. ”

    Pure speculation here, but I wonder if this thinking was what motivated the quote? ‘Everything is ready to go, but too many key skills lacking. If no team in the next few weeks, then show over, so time to reach out to a wider audience?’

  10. marc garneau says:

    thanks for your comments. To the best of my recollection, I did not use the term “dream team” in my answers to questions. It may have been Susan Delacourt in her article about my possible run.

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