The former astronaut and cabinet minister the Honourable Marc Garneau discusses his memoir A Most Extraordinary Ride: Space, Politics, and the Pursuit of a Canadian Dream (Signal, 2024), with Joseph Planta.

A Most Extraordinary Ride: Space, Politics, and the Pursuit of a Canadian Dream by Marc Garneau (Signal, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: A Most Extraordinary Ride

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Forty years ago this month, Marc Garneau became the first Canadian to fly to outer space. It was one of the country’s proudest moments, and inspired a nation into a new era of space exploration. Garneau would return to space two more times, and after a career as a naval officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as leading the Canadian Space Agency, he entered the world of politics, winning election to the House of Commons in 2008. When the Liberal Party was elected the government in 2015, he was appointed Minister of Transport, and later on in 2021, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He recounts all that and more in a new memoir A Most Extraordinary Ride: Space, Politics, and the Pursuit of a Canadian Dream. I’ll ask him about space, what it’s like to experience space physically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. As well, I’ll ask about the future of space travel and exploration. We’ll talk about his time in politics. He was Transport Minister, as well as Foreign Minister through a tumultuous time in Canadian politics, the pandemic, the arbitrary detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor; among many other notable events over the last decade. And I’ll get him to reflect on whatever his relationship was with Justin Trudeau. This new book is published by Signal. We spoke last Wednesday. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, the Honourable Marc Garneau; Mr. Garneau, good morning.

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