Minister quits over lost files and biker gang links of ex-girlfriend

Published on Tuesday 27 May 2008 22:41

CANADA'S foreign minister has resigned after leaving classified documents at the home of a former girlfriend who had ties to a motorcycle gang.

Stephen Harper, the prime minister, announced on Monday night that he had accepted the resignation of Maxime Bernier, who came under fire in recent weeks amid reports that a former girlfriend had had previous relationships with men linked to the Hell's Angels.

"Mr Bernier has learned and informed me that he left classified documents in a non-secure location. This is a serious error," he said.

Mr Harper said that Mr Bernier's relationship with the woman, Julie Couillard, was not a factor in the resignation.

But the announcement was made as Ms Couillard was preparing to go on a French-language television station to say that Mr Bernier had been careless with classified documents.

"It's only this error. It's a very serious mistake for any minister. We must always accept responsibilities for the documents that are classified. The minister has immediately acknowledged the gravity of this mistake," Mr Harper said.

Ms Couillard would not comment on the nature of the document, except to say that Mr Bernier left it at her home.

"Maxime came to see me and he left a document behind," she said, explaining that it was left by accident.

She said she had contacted a lawyer for advice, who told her it was the property of the Canadian government. "The document was given back," she said.

Ms Couillard insisted she was doing the interview to re-establish her dignity and credibility after intense media scrutiny. "I am definitely not a biker's chick," she said.

The former model said she had never done anything wrong and never been convicted of any crime. She said she told Mr Bernier about her involvement with Quebec bikers shortly after she began dating him in the summer of 2007.

"Maxime knew about it," she said, noting that he did not press her on the matter but seemed somewhat surprised.

Mr Bernier has come under fire for a variety of gaffes, including promising to send aid to Burma on a plane that was not available.

Mr Bernier first drew the attention of Canadians when he appeared at his swearing-in ceremony last August with the provocatively dressed Ms Couillard on his arm.

Ms Couillard had lived with Gilles Gigure, a well-known Montreal crime figure, for three years. He was gunned down in 1996, after he decided to become a police informer.

In 1997, she began dating and later married Stphane Sirois, who admitted to being an enforcer for the Rockers, a Hells Angels-affiliated biker club. He later turned informant and testified against a dozen of his former colleagues in a 2002 trial. Ms Couillard and Mr Sirois divorced in 1999.