Maxime Bernier
Current job: Member of Parliament for Beauce, Que., and Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism
Age: 48
Birthplace: St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que.
Family: Two daughters. He is also the son of Gilles Bernier, a former MP who also represented the Beauce.
Political History: He was first elected to the House of Commons in 2006. He was re-elected in 2008 and 2011.
Previous Cabinet roles: Minister of Foreign Affairs (appointed 2007), Minister of Industry (appointed 2006)
Work history: Prior to becoming an MP, he spent one year as executive vice-president of the Montreal Economic Institute. Prior to that, he worked as vice-president of corporate affairs and communications at Standard Life Canada. He has also held jobs at National Bank of Canada and the Securities Commission of Québec.
Education: He studied law at the University of Ottawa. He also holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Université du Québec à Montréal.
Blog: http://www.maximebernier.com/en/
In quotes:
- “I see my role as an advocate for small businesses in the government so I’ll do what I have to do.”
- “I believe in free trade, I believe in less government, I believe in entrepreneurs and, for me, that is the best position that I can have in this government.”
- “(Government) spending – it is not economic stimulus – on my point of view, spending is an economic sedative. So we must do what we are doing right now – balance the budget and be sure that [the] private sector will have the opportunity to borrow money at lower costs.”
- “Be sure that we will keep taxes low for small businesses and Canadian families. Because at the end, Canadians and entrepreneurs, they know best what to do with their money – better than any politician or bureaucrat here in Ottawa.”