Leo Edward Bernier was a politician in Ontario, Canada.
17 Facts About Leo Bernier
1.
2.
Leo Bernier served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1966 to 1987, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Bill Davis and Frank Miller.
3.
Leo Bernier was a personable and well-liked MPP who looked out for his constituents.
4.
Leo Bernier was known by his nickname as "Emperor of the North".
5.
Leo Bernier was born in Sioux Lookout, Ontario, and educated in the area.
6.
Leo Bernier was an honorary member of the Royal Canadian Legion and the Knights of Columbus.
7.
Leo Bernier ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1963 provincial election, and lost to Liberal-Labour candidate Robert Gibson by 840 votes in Kenora.
8.
Gibson died in 1966, and Leo Bernier was elected in a by-election to replace him.
9.
Leo Bernier was returned by an increased margin in the 1967 provincial election, and served as a backbench supporter of the John Robarts administration.
10.
Leo Bernier was given additional responsibilities as Minister of Lands and Forests on February 2,1972.
11.
Leo Bernier was re-elected without serious opposition in the elections of 1975,1977,1981, and 1985.
12.
Leo Bernier was named Minister of Northern Affairs on February 3,1977, and held this position for more than eight years.
13.
Leo Bernier was the most powerful minister for Northern Ontario in the Bill Davis government, and was sometimes called the "Emperor of the North".
14.
Leo Bernier initially supported Dennis Timbrell in the Progressive Conservative Party's January 1985 leadership convention, but crossed to Frank Miller after Timbrell was eliminated.
15.
In opposition, Leo Bernier served as his party's critic for Natural Resources and Northern Affairs and Mines.
16.
Leo Bernier served as chair of the Boreal West Round Table in the 1990s, and remained active in the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party until his death.
17.
Leo Bernier died on June 28,2010, in Sioux Lookout hospital at the age of 81.