Garneau takes off

The affable former astronaut and, most importantly, current Westmount resident, has been making the rounds, meeting with people in the riding and forging ties with potential voters.

And the people love it.

A Tuesday afternoon visit to Place Kensington was another success for the political neophyte. He was greeted by tenants of the local seniors' residence with the exuberance one might expect of a prime minister. Liberal red was definitely the predominant sweater colour among the 60-odd people who gathered to hear Mr. Garneau speak about the Canadian space program and his own experiences as an astronaut on three space shuttle missions.

If the good people of Place Kensington are any gauge of public opinion across this rather expansive and demographically mixed riding, Mr. Garneau would win the local seat by a landslide in the next election. But changing times spell trouble for anyone running under the red banner, and Mr. Garneau may not have such an easy run to Ottawa as previous Westmount MPs. The growing popularity of the NDP and Green Party poses the most serious threat to the Liberals right across the board, as they are more likely than the Conservatives or Bloc to draw votes from disillusioned Liberal supporters. Because of this, the danger of a split vote is more serious than ever. Suddenly, Westmount-Ville Marie is no longer such a safe stronghold. The road to Ottawa may still be open, but the ride is a lot bumpier.

Mr. Garneau’s predecessor, Lucienne Robillard, knew she was lucky enough to be running in the sweetest, easiest riding for any Liberal candidate — but not for one moment did she ever take this for granted. Every one of her five election campaigns (in just 11 years!) was fought with as much vigour as a battle for the most hotly contested seat in the nation. It is clear that Mr. Garneau has taken a page from Mme Robillard’s book and plans to win the riding by the sweat of his brow — gathering support handshake by handshake, voter by potential voter.

Relying on the party’s popularity is no longer an option for Liberals, and their campaigning must be adjusted accordingly.

Meanwhile, the buzz in Ottawa seems to be that the big Liberal machine is revving up for yet another federal election campaign. If that happens, Mr. Garneau may be shaking a lot more hands in the coming months — but he is definitely up for the job.