Former Trudeau cabinet minister criticizes PMO over access to prime minister
Marc Garneau says he was 'never sure' something told to Trudeau's office went to PM
Former foreign affairs minister Marc Garneau is criticizing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his office, saying that he was "never sure" if something conveyed to the Prime Minister's Office "ever got to the prime minister's ears."
In an interview on Rosemary Barton Live airing Sunday, he said he felt the PMO "acted as a bit of a filter," and that certain ministers had closer access to Trudeau, like childhood friends.
"There are occasions when a minister wants to talk directly to the prime minister. And I never felt, despite the fact that he said his door was always open, that was really something that he invited," he told CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton.
Garneau served in Trudeau's cabinet from 2015 to 2021, first as minister of transport, then as minister of foreign affairs. He was dropped from cabinet in October 2021 but remained an MP until March 2023.
His autobiography, A Most Extraordinary Ride: Space, Politics and the Pursuit of a Canadian Dream, is scheduled to be released in October by Penguin Random House. The book partly chronicles Garneau's experience in politics.
Garneau writes that he was "surprised" to be named minister of transport, but it took little time for him to "fall in love" with the portfolio.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is briefed by Marc Garneau, who was then transport minister, in 2017. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press)
But in the few calls the two had with each other, Trudeau "did not seek my opinion on any issues," Garneau writes. "Generally speaking, he was not overly interested in Transport, unless a problem surfaced."
When Garneau was shuffled to foreign affairs — a move he describes in his book as unexpected — he writes that his new responsibilities did not bring him any closer to Trudeau.
Instead, he was only called once to offer advice at a meeting with then-ambassador to China Dominic Barton to discuss the status of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who were imprisoned in China at the time.
"The prime minister's aloofness led me to conclude that he did not consider my advice useful enough to want to hear from me directly, relying instead on his staff," Garneau writes. "I found this disappointing, to say the least."
During his interview, Garneau said he still doesn't know why he was removed from Trudeau's cabinet.
"It was a punch in the gut. I was very disappointed," Garneau said. "I had a whole bunch of things I wanted to do at foreign affairs, but it was not to be."
As the Liberals continue to struggle in the polls, Garneau did not say whether Trudeau should quit as leader of the party.
Instead, he described Trudeau as "somebody who doesn't like to give up. He likes a good fight, and I think that he's made up his mind that he's going to fight that fight. So we'll see what happens."
Canada's place in the world 'slipping'
Garneau also expressed concern over Canada's international reputation and its foreign affairs strategies, saying that "we don't always know who we are dealing with."
"This applies primarily to the Indo-Pacific, where the centre of gravity of the world has shifted and will be there most of this century," Garneau said. "We do not know the countries there as well as we need to know them."
The second shortcoming for Canada, Garneau said, is that "we want to be a voice that's heard in the world, and yet we don't have the credibility to match those words."
Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau participates in the NATO Summit in Washington
in July. Former foreign affairs minister Marc Garneau says Canada has
been unable to 'do our share of the heavy lifting' with the security
alliance. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
"We want to do our share of the heavy lifting with respect to collective security, but we're unable to do it because we have neglected our armed forces for too many decades."
After a litany of criticism from allies, especially the United States, the Liberal government announced in early July that it hopes to meet NATO's military spending benchmark of 2 per cent of members' gross domestic product by 2032.
But Garneau referenced other examples that suggest Canada's reputation is waning, like its failed bid to join the United Nations Security Council in 2020, or how "nobody came to see us" about new multinational partnerships such as AUKUS or the Quad.
"We are slipping, from that point of view. And if that's the way it's going to be, then we make that decision, we accept it," Garneau said. "But we shouldn't be expected to be taken as seriously as we'd like to be."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Richard Raycraft, Rosemary Barton Live and The Canadian Press
Former cabinet minister Marc Garneau resigning from House of Commons
Former astronaut has served as MP since 2008
Marc Garneau, a former cabinet minister and astronaut, is resigning his seat in the House of Commons, Radio-Canada confirmed Wednesday.
The National Post was the first to report the story.
Garneau, 74, has represented the Quebec riding of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Westmount, formerly Westmount–Ville-Marie, as a Liberal since 2008. He served as minister of transport in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government from 2015 to 2021, and then as minister of foreign affairs from January 2021 to October 2021.
WATCH | Marc Garneau delivers farwell speech in House of Commons
During his farewell speech in the House of Commons, Garneau thanked his family, colleagues, staff, civil servants and parliamentary employees.
He reflected on his time in politics and challenged younger Canadians to safeguard democracy.
"Nothing is perfect in this world but I like to think that I always did my best to try and make it better," he said. "Although my gaze will remain on the future — as it always has — I hope that you, the young people of this country, will fashion that future and protect our democracy."
Garneau made history in 1984 when he became the first Canadian to fly in space. He later became deputy director of Canada's astronaut program.
Prior to his career as an astronaut, he was a commissioned officer in the Royal Canadian Navy, where he served from 1974 to 1989. He rose to the rank of captain before retiring.
He was appointed a companion of the Order of Canada in 2003.
"I've known and admired minister Garneau long before I came into politics," Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault, a fellow Quebec MP, said in a media scrum Wednesday.
"He's a Canadian who went to space, he has a long and accomplished career of public service for Canada and Canadians, and I'll be eternally grateful for everything he's done for all of us."
Garneau ran for the Liberal leadership in 2013, but withdrew from the race and supported eventual winner Justin Trudeau.
Garneau's resignation would leave the House of Commons with five vacant seats. Former interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen, who represented Portage-Lisgar, Man., resigned from the House of Commons last month. The death of former cabinet minister Jim Carr last year left a vacancy in another Manitoba riding, Winnipeg South Centre. The Alberta riding of Calgary Heritage and the Ontario riding of Oxford are also up for byelections later this year.
A uniter.
Stay tuned.
Even when their own paint a bad picture, they refuse to acknowledge the facts.
Seems a strange time to step down as soon as committees and the press are digging for answers.
"Delivered to the prime minister and several cabinet members in a series of briefings and memos first presented in January, the allegations included other detailed examples of Beijing’s efforts to further its influence and, in turn, subvert Canada’s democratic process, sources said."
https://globalnews.ca/news/9253386/canadian-intelligence-warned-pm-trudeau-that-china-covertly-funded-2019-election-candidates-sources/Called his riding office for help a few times, never got a return call. Personally he was too comfortable, happy to see him go. Doesn't mean I don't respect what he accomplished but as a local MP, grade: F.
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