Bernier papers returned full day before PM learned of breach

The Foreign Affairs Department knew about Maxime Bernier's security breach a full day before Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he learned of the matter that prompted the beleaguered minister's resignation just hours later, CBC News has confirmed.

On Monday evening, Harper announced Bernier was stepping down because he committed a security error when he inadvertently left classified documents at the home of his ex-girlfriend, Julie Couillard, in April.

The Tories have said Harper became aware of the security breach only on Monday and acted immediately and decisively in accepting Bernier's resignation. But the government so far has offered no explanation why it took almost 24 hours for the prime minister to find out about the breach.

CBC news has confirmed that the missing government document was returned to Foreign Affairs on Sunday, and that Couillard had the document with her when she recorded her now infamous interview with the French-language TVA network on Sunday afternoon.

Lawyers consulting with Couillard contacted the government, and sources said officials arranged for the document to be returned to Foreign Affairs, the CBC's Susan Bonner reported from Ottawa.

Foreign Affairs is conducting its own investigation into the matter, but opposition leaders are calling for a probe into the security breach and asking how the document could have gone missing for five weeks without anyone noticing.

Breach 'an international black eye': Dion

Meanwhile, the controversy over the Bernier affair turned into a spitting match between the Tory House leader and Liberal MPs on Wednesday over which party has embarrassed Canada more on the international scene.

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion led off question period on Thursday saying Bernier's security breach has become "an international black eye."

"It was covered by 370 news organizations in 28 countries around the world. The prime minister's refusal to take matters of security seriously has become an international embarrassment," Dion said in the House.

On Wednesday, Tory House leader Peter Van Loan said Harper acted immediately and decisively when he learned that there had been a security breach.

But he also attacked Dion over his foreign affairs credentials, ridiculing him for a comment he made in January when he seemed to suggest NATO troops be sent to the Pakistani border to bring peace to Afghanistan.

"When you talk about embarrassment on the national stage — [you have] a Liberal party leader who advocates invading Pakistan as a way of success in Afghanistan," Van Loan said.

Liberal deputy leader Michael Ignatieff later said the government's actions "have made us a laughing stock in every newspaper in the world."

Along with the security breach, he criticized the Tories for not trying to secure one of the rotating seats on the UN Security Council, ignoring the crises in China and Burma, and interfering in the U.S election over NAFTAgate.

But Van Loan stood firm, saying Canada's record on the world stage is impressive, citing its role in Afghanistan, NATO, Darfur and contributions to the World Food Program.

"I'll trade our reputation on the international stage with theirs any day," Ignatieff shot back.

"What will they do now to restore Canada's reputation on the world stage?"

Liberals suggest CSIS, PMO met over Bernier

Van Loan said the Tory record on Foreign Affairs is one of the proudest in the world and referred to former prime minister Brian Mulroney’s fight against apartheid.

He also said the Conservative party was supporting former Eastern-bloc countries in their fight for freedom while the Liberals were "cozying up to Communists."

But questioning eventually returned to the security breach itself, with NDP Leader Jack Layton asking if the government can ensure other documents weren't forgotten at "Starbucks or the gym."

Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh asked Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day to confirm whether the prime minister's office and CSIS held meetings between May 1 and May 8 to "to discuss the conduct of his foreign affairs minister."

But Day said Dosanjh would have to be "naive" to think meetings between CSIS and the prime minister would be made public. Later Wednesday outside the House, Day met with reporters and said no such meeting took place.

CSIS, which usually refuses to confirm or deny interest in any possible target, took the extraordinary step Wednesday of insisting it had no hand in the Bernier affair.

"CSIS has no involvement in this case, period," said intelligence service spokesman John Dunn.