Maxime Bernier

Maxime Bernier (born January 18, 1963) is a Canadian businessman, lawyer, and politician serving as Member of Parliament for the riding of Beauce since 2006. He is the founder and current leader of the People's Party of Canada. Prior to being elected, Bernier held positions in law, financial and banking fields. After being elected, he served as Minister of Industry, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism, which later became the Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism and Agriculture in the cabinet of then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Following the Conservatives' defeat in the 2015 election, he served as opposition critic for Innovation, Science and Economic Development in the shadow cabinets of Rona Ambrose and Andrew Scheer, until June 12, 2018. He ran in the 2017 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election, and came in a close second with over 49% of the vote in the 13th round, after leading the eventual winner, Andrew Scheer, in the first 12 rounds. On August 23, 2018, citing disagreements with Scheer's leadership, he resigned from the Conservative Party to create his own party. The party's name, the People's Party of Canada, was announced on September 14, 2018.