Maxime Bernier
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Maxime Bernier | |
 |
|
|
Member of Parliament
for Beauce |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2006 Federal Election |
|
| Preceded by | Claude Drouin |
|---|---|
|
|
|
| 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. In August 2007 he became Minister of Foreign Affairs, but was forced to step down May 26, 2008 after a scandal involving an ex-girlfriend, Julie Couillard with ties to the Hell's Angels.
Contents |
[edit] Background
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]
[edit] Election to parliament
Bernier was elected to parliament as one of a group of new Conservative MPs in the 2006 Canadian election. As one of the most high-profile Conservative MPs from Québec, on 6 February 2006 Bernier was appointed to the position of 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 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 aircrafts 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.[4]
[edit] Resignation
He came under intense scrutiny after the media discovered that he was romantically linked to Julie Couillard, a former model who had past romantic links with members of the Hells Angels. Although the Prime Minister initially dismissed the affair, Bernier finally resigned when it was revealed that he had left behind 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 and went to the media. The Liberals and the NDP are calling for an RCMP investigation into possible security breaches, including Bernier's.[5]
A parliamentary inquiry into the matter was announced on June 2, 2008.[6]
Bernier consequently resigned as Minister on 26 May and was replaced by David Emerson on a short term basis,[7] with Josée Verner taking over as Minister responsible for La Francophonie. [8][9]
[edit] References
- ^ "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
- ^ Maxime Bernier resigns as foreign affairs minister. CTV. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
- ^ Let Mounties investigate Bernier's indiscretions. The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
- ^ The Globe and Mail, June 3, 2008.
- ^ 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.
[edit] External links
- 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 |
|
|||||||||||
