Pathetic is not the appropriate word when Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs is so incompetent he leaves documents a document, government information on paper, in his ex- girlfriend’s place.  Maxime Bernier’s relationship with  Julie Couillard was problematic, she was not vetted by Canadian government security.  

What was in the documents he left behind, how are international governments going to look at this breech?  While it is not known yet if his incompetence is illegal, it’s unconscionable, there is a law in place to charge Bernier if necessary. I cannot recall this senior a cabinet level resignation.

Maxime Bernier was elected in the riding of Beauce in 2006.

( pic: Couvette/Ottawa)

“I received and accepted Minister Bernier’s resignation from the cabinet,” Harper told reporters Tuesday.

“Mr. Bernier has learned and informed me that he left classified government documents in a non-secure location. This is a serious error and the minister has accepted his responsibility.”

David Emerson (Vancouver-Kingsway), Minister of International Trade is temporarily taking the portfolio, which will be shared with Josée Verner .  Emerson was not elected to The Conservative Party, he served as Industry Minister in the Liberal government, and was re-elected as a liberal in the 2006 election. 

There has been a series of gaffes, stumbles and embarrassments by the former Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs:

- April 2008  Maxime Bernier suggests the governor of Kandahar be removed
- The Canadian government had to rent a Russian cargo jet to ship helicopters to assist in Burmese aid after Bernier promised Canadian C-17’s which were not available
- on a trip to Haiti he didn’t know the name of the president
- Maxime Bernier began dating a woman who had past ties to gangs prior to being sworn in as Foreign Affairs Minister in 2007. 

Bernier is still listed as Minister of Foreign Affairs on The Prime Minister of Canada’s website.
Nothing on The Conservative Party of Canada website.

David Aikin - Bernier’s resignation letter
Kady O’Malley - Huh. That was actually unexpected
Kady O’Malley liveblogs Julie Couillard’s interview on TVA which was pre-taped
on demand Canoe TV Couillard interview

Paul Wells - Document Dump:

So it was Bernier, with the documents, in the undisclosed location. I knew it!
Actually I totally didn’t know it. For the record, I’m the guy who showed up at the prime minister’s press conference, wearily assuring my colleagues that this couldn’t be about a ministerial resignation because if it was, we’d be at Rideau Hall for the emergency swearing-in.
Shows what I know. The minister left classified documents where he hadn’t, Stephen Harper told us, confirming that in the end, these stories always do wind up being about where you leave your briefs.

…In the meantime, David Emerson is minister of trade, foreign affairs, Western infrastructure, and I forget what else. A Liberal comes in handy, apparently.

CBC
Stephen Taylor - The Blogging Tories

The Toronto Star has started a series of articles, ”Secret Capital“ regarding the current federal government communications and media management.

Update: The Ottawa Citizen reports a source says they were NATO summit (April 2-4/08) preparation documents. Harper called them classified in his news conference, they knew Ms. Couillard was going to blow the whistle in the TVA interview. Ms. Couillard says the NATO material was left in mid-April, they were returned to the government by Ms. Couillard’s lawyer advice Sunday.

We have no idea what Bernier may have shown or shared with Couillard, let alone what he left behind.
I doubt voters are going to take kindly to being treated like fools.