OTTAWA - Former astronaut Marc Garneau has offered himself up as a possible interim leader for the federal Liberal party's relaunch after its devastating loss in the May 2 election.
Garneau, a Montreal MP who was re-elected by a slim 658-vote margin, is the first member of the sharply-reduced Liberal caucus to indicate he'd like to lead the rebuilding process.
Sources say he has sent an email to some of his 34 elected caucus colleagues offering his services.
Divisions remain within the party over how to move forward, although there appears to be a consensus that no permanent leader need be chosen for a year or more.
The party's national executive proposed a list of rules for choosing the prospective interim party leader, but they did not get the green light when elected MPs and Liberal senators met this week in Ottawa.
A Liberal source says "the phone lines are burning up" as the party works out its succession issues.
