10 June 2013
Ottawa, Ontario
Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the following statement today after learning Chris Hadfield had decided to retire from the Canadian Space Agency:
“On behalf of all citizens, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Canadian space pioneer Chris Hadfield for his dedication to the Canadian Space Agency and for his many remarkable contributions over the course of his 35 year career.
“Canadians are extremely proud of all his accomplishments. From being a top pilot with the Canadian Armed Forces and U.S. Navy, to becoming a premier international space explorer, his career has been nothing short of exceptional.
“He achieved many notable firsts for Canada throughout his career: He is the only Canadian to have boarded Mir, the Russian Space Station; the first Canadian to operate the Canadarm in orbit; the first Canadian to perform a spacewalk—when he attached Canadarm2 to the International Space Station (ISS); and most recently, the first Canadian to Command the ISS.
“For his service, Mr. Hadfield has received a number of special honours, including the U.S. Navy's Test Pilot of the Year award in 1991, being named a member of the Order of Ontario in 1996, and receiving the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal in 2003. Mr. Hadfield was also inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame in 2005 and was commemorated on Royal Canadian Mint silver and gold coins in 2006.
“On his most recent journey aboard the International Space Station, his spectacular photographs, musical renditions and tweets about life in space, delivered in his humble and warm manner, captured the hearts and the attention of Canadians and people around the world. He brought the excitement of being an astronaut, and the excitement of space travel to the forefront once again, and has inspired a generation of young people to follow in his footsteps.
“I join all Canadians in wishing Chris Hadfield the very best in his well-deserved retirement, and in all of his future endeavours. He will be missed.”
