Background
Bernier was born in Saint-Georges, Quebec, to Doris and Gilles Bernier. He has two sisters, Brigitte and Caroline, and one brother, Gilles Bernier, Jr. His father represented the riding of Beauce from 1984 to 1997, first as a Progressive Conservative and then as an independent. In his teens Bernier played football and was a member of the Condors, the team of the Séminaire St-Georges, when they won the Bol d’Or at the Olympic Stadium in 1980. He has participated in several marathons and runs daily. He obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Université du Québec à Montréal, and went on to complete his law degree at the University of Ottawa. He was called to the Quebec Bar in 1990. Bernier has held positions in several financial and banking institutions, including the National Bank, the Securities Commission of Québec, and Standard Life of Canada, to that of Executive Vice-President of the Montreal Economic Institute.
Bernier is regarded by pundits as belonging to the libertarian wing of the Conservative Party. He has made several public comments denying humans are responsible for climate change and has also suggested a global conspiracy among scientists exists to exaggerate warnings about fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Read more about this topic: Maxime Bernier
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