Fresh new allegations of carelessness were levelled Thursday against Maxime Bernier, the beleaguered former foreign affairs minister.
Bernier resigned Monday after telling Prime Minister Stephen Harper he had misplaced confidential documents and left them at a former girlfriend's home. The woman, Julie Couillard, returned the documents this past weekend, weeks after they first went missing.
On Thursday, the NDP accused Bernier of carelessly leaving important briefing notes out in the open during a commercial flight. The accusation was made by NDP defence critic Dawn Black, who told CTV Newsnet's Mike Duffy Live that she was sitting near Bernier on a flight last year when she saw the notes. They were tucked into the airplane's seat pocket.
Black said she was able to read some parts of the documents as the politicians flew to Edinburgh for a meeting of some NATO countries participating in the Afghanistan mission.
"They were briefing notes telling the minister what he should say to (U.S. Secretary of State) Condoleezza Rice when he met with her," Black said.
They noted how Bernier "should thank her or congratulate her that the communication between the Canadian (International Security Assistance Force) ISAF mission and the Operation Enduring Freedom American mission (had improved). That's as far as I could see," Black said.
Black said not only could she read the notes, others could have as well -- including members of the public sitting nearby.
"At the time I thought this isn't very good, but I didn't know there was a pattern," she said.
There are allegations that Bernier would tear out pages of government documents and pass them to others. Sources have also told reporters that staffers would often have to search for confidential documents that were left lying around by the former foreign affairs minister.
As for the documents Bernier left at Couillard's home, a Quebec magazine reported Thursday that she said, "Maxime Bernier never tried to get the documents back."
Meanwhile, the Bernier affair has overshadowed the prime minister's European tour. Editors have splashed headlines of the scandal in dozens of papers across the continent. Rome's La Stampa newspaper's front-page headline read: "NATO plans in the lover's room."
"(And) on the front page of Corriere della Sera (the headline was) . . . 'Lovestruck minister loses his head and his documents,'' said Italian-born Maurizio Bevilacqua, a Liberal MP who interpreted the headline for a Canadian Press reporter.
"When the prime minister launched his European tour, are these really the headlines he was hoping for,'' asked Bevilacqua.
The opposition says the entire affair deservers nothing short of a full public inquiry and an investigation by the RCMP. The Tories have said foreign affairs is conducting an internal investigation and will ask for outside help if required.
The Conservatives are accusing the opposition of being fascinated with tabloid news. Government House Leader Peter Van Loan said the prime minister has no time to read headlines, but is instead busy promoting Canadian priorities to world leaders.
