MONTREAL - Emerging from days of self-imposed exile, Maxime Bernier said Wednesday that he had renewed his passion for politics even though his love life has since become a national security concern.
The former foreign affairs minister has kept a low-profile since stepping down last month following revelations he left classified documents at the home of ex-girlfriend Julie Couillard.
Bernier surfaced unexpectedly on 101.3 FM, a small radio station in the Beauce, the riding south of Quebec City where he won a landslide victory in the 2006 election.
In a telephone interview, he confided that he was back in the Beauce after having holed up somewhere in Quebec.
"I felt the need to take some time for myself to reflect-- no Blackberry, no cellphone, no television or newspaper or radio,'' he said, speaking publicly for the first time since giving up the high-profile portfolio.
"It did me good. I recharged my batteries.''
While Bernier spoke candidly at times -- comparing recent weeks with his divorce -- he refused to shed any light on how the classified documents went missing for five weeks.
Asked by 101.3 FM why he didn't realize the documents had disappeared, Bernier acknowledged "You have good questions.''
"I will answer these questions, but I can't answer them now,'' he added.
Bernier also avoided making any comments about Couillard's claim that she warned him about her past ties with criminal bikers.
He was nevertheless contrite about the gaffe which prompted the Foreign Affairs Department to conduct an internal investigation into what happened to the NATO briefing files.
"I did what I had to do as a minister and MP,'' Bernier told the radio station. "The thing to do in the circumstances was resign, which is what I did.''
The radio station told Bernier that in the days following his resignation it was flooded with calls of support. A banner was even strung from a highway overpass that said "Maxime we still love you.''
Calling Beauce natives a "loyal race,'' Bernier said their outpouring clinched his resolve to run for the Conservatives in the next election.
"I didn't want to let the people of the Beauce down and I realized they were behind me,'' he said. "I'm still emotional when I speak about it.''
But Bernier must first contend with a scandal that refuses to go away for a Conservative government struggling to break away from the Opposition.
Earlier Wednesday, it was learned that another of Couillard's liaisons had cost a senior Tory staffer his job.
Public Works Minister Michael Fortier confirmed that he dismissed Quebec adviser Bernard Cote after learning that he dated Couillard briefly last year while she was attempting to win a government contract.
This comes following revelations before the Commons public safety committee on Tuesday that the RCMP was aware of Couillard's relationships with top Hells Angels members.
Though Prime Minister Stephen Harper has maintained that her past did not pose a security concern, senior Mounties suggested otherwise to the committee.
Bernier admitted the string of negative headlines has been hard on his family.
"It affects the family a lot,'' he told the radio station. "You feel responsible as an individual that your actions as a politician have an impact on the life of your immediate family.''
