IF you ask Marc Garneau, there are few things that make you think globally quite like leaving Earth.
"We share the whole planet," said the famed former astronaut, speaking to the North Shore News after an event at the Pemberton Station Pub Monday.
"We share the atmosphere; we share the oceans. We have a collective responsibility to take care of them. . . . You think about these things when you're up there looking down."
Garneau, who entered the race for leadership of the federal Liberal party in November, was on the North Shore this week to gather Western support for his campaign.
Facing stiff competition from party darling Justin Trudeau, the 63-year-old made the case that his professional background, including his time as an astronaut and his years as head of the Canadian Space Agency, have made him uniquely qualified for the post.
"I think Canadians are looking for a strong leader, someone who doesn't get rattled easily, someone who is reassuring when we face a crisis," said Garneau. "I think everything I've done in my life has led me to this moment."
Garneau, an electrical engineer and former naval officer, literally rocketed to fame in 1984 when he became the first Canadian to take part in a NASA shuttle mission.
He returned to space in 1996 and again in 2000, logging more than 600 hours in orbit, and eventually went on to become president of the CSA. Garneau quit that post in 2005 to run for office, finally getting elected as MP for Westmount-Ville-Marie in Quebec in 2008.
Garneau believes that background, particularly his time heading up the country's $300-million space program, has equipped him to resuscitate his ailing party.
"We've come upon hard times, and I want to be the person who will help to turn it around," he said. "What we really need to do is reconnect with Canadians."
If Garneau wins the leadership and the Liberals return to power, his top priority will be employment, he said. "It's ultimately related to making sure as many Canadians as possible have jobs - secure jobs, stable jobs, long-term jobs that lead to a retirement that's secure."
Garneau rattled off a list of specific actions he would take, including the creation of tax credits aimed at boosting investment in startups, employee skills upgrading and youth employment, and the extension of the student loan program to new immigrants in a bid to increase their employability.
He pegged the price tag for those initiatives at about $800 million, but argued the expense would be worth it.
"I will take it from somewhere else (in the budget) unless we're in surplus, because those to me are priorities," said Garneau. "I will apply them not just for one year; I will apply them for the amount of time it takes for us to get ourselves on a competitive footing."
But while Garneau insists his focus is on politics now, the concerns of his high-flying former life are clearly not far from his heart. Asked about the first time he saw the Earth from orbit, Garneau smiled.
"I will never forget it; it's a searing image," he said. "Not only is it beautiful, but it's one of those moments when you say to yourself: 'Am I really here? I'm not looking at a picture. Am I really here up in space looking down?' "
Liberals will be selecting a new leader April 14.
