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Maxime Bernier
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Member of Parliament
for Beauce |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2006 federal election |
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| Preceded by | Claude Drouin |
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| Born | January 18, 1963 Beauce, Quebec |
| Political party | Conservative Party of Canada |
| Spouse | Divorced |
| Residence | Montreal |
| Profession | Businessman, lawyer |
Maxime Bernier, PC, MP (born January 18, 1963) is a Canadian member of Parliament and former Minister of Foreign Affairs. A businessman and lawyer, he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the January 2006 federal election to represent the riding of Beauce, Quebec. In August 2007 he became Minister of Foreign Affairs, but was forced to resign from cabinet (though retaining his seat in the House) on May 26, 2008 after a scandal involving an ex-girlfriend, Julie Couillard with ties to the Hell's Angels.
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Bernier is the son of Gilles Bernier, who represented the Beauce riding from 1984 to 1997 first as a Progressive Conservative and then as an independent. Maxime has a bachelor's degree in commerce from UQAM [1] and a degree in Law from the University of Ottawa [2]. He is a former vice president of the Montreal Economic Institute, a Quebec think-tank advocating smaller government. He was regarded as belonging to the libertarian wing of the party.[3]
Bernier was elected to parliament as one of a group of new Conservative MPs in the 2006 Canadian election. He won 67 percent of the vote, the best performance for a Conservative candidate in a riding east of Manitoba.
Bernier was one of the higher-profile freshman MPs from Quebec, and as such, on 6 February 2006 he was appointed federal Minister of Industry. He was also the minister responsible for Statistics Canada, replacing the former minister, David Emerson. By virtue of being appointed as the Minister of Industry, Bernier also served as the Registrar General.
Following a cabinet shuffle in August 2007, Bernier, the neophyte MP[4] , was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs replacing Peter MacKay who became the Minister of National Defence. During his stint as Foreign Affairs Minister, he came under fire for several high-profile gaffes. In April 2008, during a trip to Afghanistan, he told reporters that he wanted the governor of Kandahar Asadullah Khalid to be replaced. In May 2008, he promised to send a C-17 aircraft transporting several helicopters to Burma which was hit by Cyclone Nargis that killed tens of thousands of people in early May. However, none of the four C-17 aircraft were made available at the time and the government was forced to send an aircraft rented at a cost of $1 million to the cyclone-ravaged area.[5]
Bernier came under even more intense scrutiny after the media discovered that his girlfriend Julie Couillard had past romantic links with members of the Hells Angels. Although the Prime Minister initially dismissed the affair, Bernier ultimately resigned when it was revealed that he had left sensitive briefing notes for a then-upcoming NATO meeting at Couillard's house after having broken off the affair. Foreign Affairs was apparently unaware that NATO briefing papers were missing for five weeks. Couillard returned the package to Foreign Affairs on the advice of a lawyer,[6] and went to the media. The Liberals and the NDP are calling for a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) investigation into possible security breaches, including Bernier's.[7]
Bernier consequently resigned from Cabinet on 26 May 2008, though he retains his seat in the House of Commons. Also, as a former Cabinet minister, he remained on the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, with the right to the style "The Honourable" for life. He was replaced as Minister of Foreign Affairs by David Emerson on a short term basis,[8] with fellow Quebec Tory MP Josée Verner taking over as Minister responsible for La Francophonie. [9][10]
A parliamentary inquiry into the matter was announced on June 2, 2008.[11]
- ^ "Maxime Bernier, nouveau député conservateur", cyberpresse.ca
- ^ "Federal Ministers, students, educators and experts gather to discuss impact of technology on society", University of Ottawa, March 19, 2007.
- ^ "In fact, his right-wing libertarian beliefs made him ill-suited to run an industry department that has always tried to bolster business." in "Lightweight MP appointed in a bid for Quebec votes," by Les Whittington, Toronto Star, May 27, 2008 page A4
- ^ "Femme fatale". The Economist. Retrieved on 2008-06-21.
- ^ "Maxime Bernier resigns as foreign affairs minister". CTV. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
- ^ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080528.wlbernier28/BNStory/lifeMain/home?cid=al_gam_mostview Globe and Mail: Couillard a helpless victim? Cry me a river
- ^ "Let Mounties investigate Bernier's indiscretions". The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
- ^ Ward, Doug, "Emerson adds high-profile post to other duties", Vancouver Sun, May 28, 2008
- ^ "Bernier resigns". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
- ^ "Remaniement ministériel". www.radio-canada.ca. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
- ^ The Globe and Mail, June 3, 2008.
- CPC biography page of Maxime Bernier
- Parliament Webpage
- Video: National security questions about ex-girlfriend
| 28th Ministry - Government of Stephen Harper | ||
| Cabinet Posts (2) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Peter MacKay | Minister of Foreign Affairs (2007 - 2008) |
David Emerson (acting) |
| David Emerson | Minister of Industry (2006 - 2007) |
Jim Prentice |
| Special Cabinet Responsibilities | ||
| Predecessor | Title | Successor |
| Josée Verner | Minister responsible for La Francophonie (2007-2008) |
Josée Verner (acting) |
| Parliament of Canada | ||
| Preceded by Claude Drouin |
Member of Parliament for Beauce 2006–present |
Incumbent |
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