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Marc Garneau – Career Highlights

1974–1976
Begins his career as a combat systems engineer aboard HMCS Algonquin, serving with the Royal Canadian Navy.

1976–1977
Transitions to a teaching role at the Canadian Forces Fleet School in Halifax, where he designs a weapons systems simulator to train naval officers.

1977–1980
Works in Ottawa as a project engineer, focusing on the development of naval weapon systems.

1980–1982
Returns to Halifax to join the Naval Engineering Unit, where he conducts equipment trials, solves technical issues on ship systems, and helps create an aircraft-towed target system for naval gunnery training.

1982
Promoted to Commander while attending Staff College in Toronto.

1983
Appointed design authority for naval communications and electronic warfare systems in Ottawa.
In December, selected as one of the first six Canadian astronauts. He is seconded to the Canadian Astronaut Program in early 1984 to begin training.

October 1984
Makes history as the first Canadian in space, flying as a payload specialist on Shuttle Mission STS-41-G.

1989
Becomes Deputy Director of the Canadian Astronaut Program, helping oversee the development of experiments for upcoming missions.

1992
Selected for NASA mission specialist training at the Johnson Space Center. Later serves as Capsule Communicator (CapCom) in Mission Control during shuttle flights.

1996
Completes his second spaceflight as a mission specialist on STS-77.

2000
Returns to space for a third mission, serving on STS-97. Across his three flights, Garneau logs over 677 hours in space.

2001
Named Executive Vice President of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Later that year, he is promoted to President, a role he holds until 2005.

2008
Elected as Member of Parliament for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Westmount (formerly Westmount–Ville-Marie), beginning a new chapter in public service.

2015–2021
Serves as Minister of Transport, introducing key initiatives including:

• The Passenger Bill of Rights

• The Safer Skies Initiative

• The Oceans Protection Plan

2021
Appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, serving from January to October.

2023
Marc Garneau announces his retirement from political life, concluding a remarkable career in service to Canada—both on Earth and