He may never be known as Flash Garneau, but the latest contender for the helm of the federal Liberals hopes his astronaut credentials will give him a lift.
Marc Garneau repeatedly played up his resum脙漏 as sa国际传媒's first man in space as he officially launched his leadership campaign Wednesday.
The Montreal MP touted himself as the Liberals' best hope for defeating Prime Minister Stephen Harper, having gained the necessary experience and leadership skills during an impressive career before jumping into the political arena in 2008.
"I want to be the prime minister of sa国际传媒, I want to be the Liberal leader," Garneau told a news conference in Ottawa shortly after formally kicking off his campaign in his Montreal riding.
"I will talk about my strengths and my strengths are proven. ... There will be no modesty here. I'm going to speak specifically about what I've done in the navy, what I've done in the space program, including being the president of the Canadian Space Agency."
Garneau insisted he's not daunted by the prospect of going up against fellow Montreal MP Justin Trudeau, son of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau.
"When I sent in my application [to become an astronaut], I was one of 4,000 people and I ended up No. 1," Garneau said. "So, I like to take on challenges and I'm taking on this challenge and I intend to win."
His campaign kickoff was starkly different from Justin Trudeau's launch last month and the contrast suggests Garneau has plenty of work to do to catch up to the front-runner, both in terms of campaign organization and personal appeal.
Garneau strode into a packed hotel meeting room in his Montreal riding early Wednesday to a standing ovation from about 100 people. The event, however, featured no big-name Liberals, no music, only a few chants of "Garneau, Gar-neau, Garneau!"
Having said repeatedly he wouldn't enter the race unless he was certain he could put together an effective campaign team, Gar-neau curiously refused Wednesday to name members of his team, other than campaign director Andy Mitchell, a former Ontario MP and cabinet minister.
His launch was significantly more reserved than Trudeau's rally in another part of the city last month. Trudeau received a rock-star welcome when he made his announcement before a boisterous, adoring throng of 500 supporters.
The crowd included a number of former MPs, at least one current MP and some former cabinet ministers.
Garneau joins a large field of contestants, which includes Trudeau, Vancouver MP Joyce Murray, former Toronto MP Martha Hall Findlay, Ottawa lawyer David Bertschi, Toronto lawyer Deborah Coyne, retired Canadian Forces Lt.-Col. Karen McCrimmon, Vancouver prosecutor Alex Burton and David Merner of Victoria, former president of the party's sa国际传媒 wing.
Toronto lawyer George Takach is expected to join the race today. Ontario government economist Jonathan Mousley might enter if he can raise the stiff $75,000 entry fee.
