In May 2008, it was revealed that, one month earlier, Bernier inadvertently left a confidential briefing book at the home of his girlfriend at the time, Julie Couillard. While Prime Minister Stephen Harper originally defended Bernier, he ultimately accepted his resignation on May 26, 2008, saying "It's only this error. It's a very serious error for any minister. The minister immediately recognized the gravity of that error." Bernier explained that the incident made him rethink his political career and that he would avoid taking government information out of his parliamentary office in future.