Maxime Bernier is a politician known for his frankness and authenticity.
A man of ideas, he is committed to individual FREEDOM and personal RESPONSIBILITY, RESPECT for Canada’s cultural heritage, as well as governance that ensures that every citizen is treated FAIRLY, principles that are at the heart of his political vision.
Maxime Bernier was born on 18 January 1963 in St-Georges de Beauce. He is the father of two daughters. He is married to his second wife Catherine Letarte.
In 1985, Maxime Bernier obtained a BA in Commerce from the Université du Québec à Montréal and began law studies at the University of Ottawa before being admitted to the Bar of Quebec in 1990. During his professional career, he worked for several financial and banking institutions before becoming vice-president of the Montreal Economic Institute in 2005.
Encouraged to make the leap into active politics, he was elected Member of Parliament for Beauce on January 23, 2006 with the largest majority for a Conservative MP outside of Alberta. He was then appointed to Cabinet as Minister of Industry.
Professor Richard J. Schultz, Director of the Department of Political Science at McGill University, has written that “in terms of what is perhaps the single most important component of his Industry portfolio, telecommunications, he was without challenge the best Industry Minister in thirty years.”
Maxime Bernier then served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from August 2007 to May 2008, a position he left following a resounding scandal involving secret documents left at his then girlfriend’s home. He was nevertheless re-elected as MP for Beauce in October 2008, and again in May 2011. He was then appointed Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism. He won his fourth election in November 2015, again with an impressive majority.
A seasoned runner, Maxime Bernier has taken part in several marathons. His determination and courage enabled him in 2013 to cross his riding of Beauce from south to north in 13 hours, a distance of 106 km, a feat that allowed him to raise $165,000 for the food bank of Beauce.
In 2016, he entered the leadership race to succeed Stephen Harper at the helm of the Conservative Party of Canada, a race he lost a year later by only 1% of the vote under questionable circumstances of vote manipulation.
On August 23, 2018, Maxime Bernier left the Conservative Party, a party he no longer believed in and denounced as “morally and intellectually corrupt,” to sit as an independent member of Parliament (read his statement here). He officially launched the People’s Party of Canada a few weeks later, on 14 September. He lost his seat as Member of Parliament for Beauce in the October 2019 election.
Even if he has not yet managed to regain a seat as a member of Parliament, Maxime Bernier has succeeded in founding a party whose forward-thinking stances have had a considerable influence on Canadian political debates, and that has become the sixth largest in federal politics.
The People’s Party of Canada brings together common sense, populism, classical conservatism, and libertarianism to create solutions adapted for the challenges of the 21st century. Our beliefs are succinctly summarized in our four founding principles: Freedom, Responsibility, Fairness and Respect. These principles guide and inform the policies of the People’s Party.
Maxime Bernier, a former Conservative MP and Cabinet Minister in Stephen Harper’s government, formed the PPC in 2018 after realizing that the Conservative Party of Canada was too intellectually and morally corrupt to reform, having abandoned conservative principles long ago.
Our mission is to offer Canadians a real principled alternative to the corrupt establishment parties, which rely on pandering and vote-buying schemes to further their interests and those of lobbyists, rather than those of the people.
We envision a bright future where the government puts Canadians first, instead of trying to please other countries and global organizations. Where politicians and bureaucrats get out of your way rather than trying to control the economy and every aspect of your life. Where our country is united in pursuit of common goals instead of being divided by identity politics.
We want to make Canada a place where you and your family can thrive instead of just getting by, and achieve your dreams, no matter how big or small they are.
We invite you to check out our platform and become a member. Join us, and together we can make Canada a freer and more prosperous country we are proud to call home!
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