Do we like Chris Hadfield?
Our score: 8 out of 10. A clean record on both tests and a lifetime of sharing space with ordinary people, but the file is thin on LGBTQ+ topics, so it stops short of a 9.
Hadfield is Sarnia-born, a retired air force colonel who flew three spaceflights and, in 2012, became the first Canadian to command the International Space Station. In 1995 he became the first Canadian to walk in space. He then turned into a household name when he filmed himself playing a David Bowie song on the ISS.
The real story is that he made space feel like everyone's business. He is a test pilot who also writes novels, tours stage shows and talks to anyone who will listen. His latest book is the thriller Final Orbit, and he has been the go-to voice for Artemis II, saying people who aren't awed by going to the Moon are missing a great adventure.
On scandal, the cupboard is bare. Searches for court cases, lawsuits and misconduct allegations turned up nothing credible. The only old ripple was a 2013 claim from a Canadian outlet that some of his posts were ghostwritten, and I couldn't open a source that carried it, so I'm leaving it there. That's honestly the whole list.
The harm check comes up clean. In 2020 he told the Irish Times the climate threat 'is us' and urged people to look at their own energy use, though he also called doom talk 'Chicken Little' behaviour, which some climate campaigners would find a bit breezy. Nothing turned up on his views about LGBTQ+ or trans people, good or bad, and he has no record of working with culture-war outfits that I could find.
He does take a stand when it counts. In April 2025 he told the Irish Times it made him angry that Trump had treated Canada like a chattel. In the February 2025 row over two NASA astronauts, Musk claimed they were left in space for political reasons, and Hadfield said they had never been stranded. He was backing colleagues, which takes some spine when the other side is the world's richest man.
On the good stuff, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada, for promoting scientific discovery and sharing the wonders of space exploration with the world, and was invested at Rideau Hall in 2015. He has also fronted plenty of charity events, though I only confirmed the honour from a page I could open.