Maxime Bernier's term as foreign affairs minister ended Monday with a 130-word letter of resignation to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

"This is to inform you that I am resigning my post as Minister of Foreign Affairs, effective immediately," he wrote.

"I informed you late this afternoon that last night I became aware that I had left behind classified government documents at a private residence.

"Prime Minister, the security breach that occurred was my fault and my fault alone and I take full responsibility for my actions."

He left the documents in the home of former girlfriend Julie Couillard -- a woman who had once been involved with members of the biker underworld. The documents involved material related to the NATO summit held in Bucharest, Romania in early April.

Here's a recap of the 45-year-old Bernier's political career and the events that led to his fall from cabinet:

Jan. 23, 2006: Bernier wins the Quebec riding of Beauce -- once represented by his father Gilles, a Progressive Conservative -- by capturing 67 per cent of the vote.

Feb. 6, 2006: Bernier, a rookie MP, is named industry minister in Harper's first cabinet. Bernier, who holds a law degree and an MBA, helped found a right-wing economic think tank -- the Montreal Economic Institute.

Aug. 14, 2007: Bernier is promoted to foreign affairs minister. He replaces Peter MacKay, who is moved to defence. The two are expected to help sell the Afghanistan mission, particularly in Quebec where there was strong opposition. A woman by the name of Julie Couillard accompanies Bernier to his swearing-in ceremony. Her plunging neckline catches some attention.

Oct. 2, 2007: In his debut speech at the United Nations, Bernier calls for a special UN envoy to Afghanistan. Couillard accompanies Bernier on the trip. She would also eventually accompany him to 24 Sussex Drive, the prime minister's official residence.

April 14, 2008: In a scrum with reporters at the end of a three-day visit to Afghanistan, Bernier is asked about what Afghan President Hamid Karzai can do to reduce corruption in the south.

"They're a sovereign state, they're going to have to decide, it's a decision that the president is will have to take in the near future about the future of the government we're having here (in Kandahar)," he says.

"Is it the right person at the right place at the right time? President Karzai will have to answer these questions as soon as possible."

CTV News reports that Bernier had told Karzai to replace Gov. Asadullah Khalid of Kandahar province, where Canada's 2,500 troops operate.

Bernier's statement sets off a diplomatic firestorm.

The minister later releases a statement saying, "Afghanistan is a sovereign state that makes its own decisions about government appointments. I can assure you that Canada fully respects this and is not calling for any changes to the Afghan government."

The Prime Minister's Office says: "Minister Bernier is a bold and aggressive foreign affairs minister and he quickly clarified his comments."

Mid-April: This isn't publicly known yet, but somewhere in this period, Bernier leaves briefing materials from the early April NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania in Couillard's home. Some of the documents are classified.

April 17: Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae demands Bernier be fired, calling the minister incompetent and irresponsible.

April 22: International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda appears at a literacy event in Kandahar with Khalid.

"This issue is finished already, and there was no issue," Khalid tells reporters. "It was a misunderstanding, which I believe, and for me, relations between Afghans and Canadians, this is more important."

May 7: The Bernier-Couillard story explodes.

The news breaks that Couillard, now Bernier's ex-girlfriend, had been in relationships with two men involved in the biker underworld in the 1990s.

One of them, Stephane Sirois, had been an associate of Maurice (Mom) Boucher, a Hells Angels leader in Quebec currently serving a first-degree murder sentence for ordering the 1997 murder of two prison guards.

Another, Gilles Giguere, died in a gangland slaying.

Couillard herself has no criminal record. According to court records examined by the Globe and Mail, the Hells Angels had considered putting out a contract on her life.

May 8: Liberal MP Ralph Goodale says it's important for Canadians to know whether Couillard ever had access to ministerial documents.

"This is about my private life, the private life in the past of my ex-girlfriend -- and people's private lives are none of your business," Bernier says to applause from the Conservative caucus.

Harper calls Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe and Liberal Leader Stephane Dion a "group of gossipy, old busybodies" in remarks outside of the House of Commons.

May 10: The Bloc Quebecois calls for a national security probe.

Montreal's La Presse newspaper reports that the RCMP wanted to speak with Bernier about a photo of him shaking hands with Michael Chamas, a Montreal businessman arrested in March on charges of possession of illegal weapons.

May 11: Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day tells CTV's Question Period that he did not think security background checks are needed for MPs' spouses. Bernier had listed Couillard as a spouse.
 
"We don't see that as a major cause for concern," Day says. "To go into the private lives of the spouses, the partners of all the members of Parliament, I think that's a little bit excessive."

Rae tells Question Period he just wanted the government to say that it has looked into the matter and that there was no security breach.

May 16: La Presse reports that Couillard lived until 2005 with Robert Pepin, who owed money to a Hells Angels loanshark and had pleaded guilty to possessing stolen property. Pepin committed suicide in 2006.

"This is not an issue of national security," Conservative House Leader Peter Van Loan said in a May 17 Canadian Press story. "We have made it clear that this government would not put national security at risk."

May 23: The Globe and Mail reports that Bernier had promised two days earlier in Rome to make one of Canada's C-17 military cargo aircraft available to take World Food Program helicopters to Thailand. The helicopters were to be used to deliver cyclone aid in Burma.

However, none of the four aircraft -- purchased by the Conservatives for $3.4 billion -- were available.

The government ended up spending almost $1 million to rent a Russian cargo aircraft to carry the helicopters.

Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae calls for Bernier to be fired.

May 25: Deputy Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff tells Question Period: "(Bernier's) lost the confidence of his own department. You can't make promises on the international stage if you can't deliver. This was a serious mistake."

May 26: A new report emerges about Couillard, who is scheduled to appear on Quebec's TVA network that evening.

Le Devoir reports that Couillard had been involved with Pepin in a high-tech firm that had bid on airport security contracts.

"I have no intention to comment on a minister's former girlfriend," the prime minister said at a Parliament Hill news conference with Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko. "I don't take this subject seriously."

He didn't answer a question about whether he still had confidence in Bernier.

Later that afternoon in question period, Deputy Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff asks: "Why should the government have to keep cleaning up after this minister? Wouldn't it just be easier to get rid of him?"

Van Loan says Bernier "had been showing considerable leadership on the world stage."

That evening, a grim-faced Harper announces that he has accepted Bernier's resignation for leaving classified government documents "in an unsecured environment" -- an act he describes as "very grave."

Harper announces that David Emerson will serve as interim foreign affairs minister.

Harper says Bernier's resignation was only related to the document error.

A few hours later, Couillard's interview airs in which she tells of finding the documents, which Bernier had left in April, and contacting the federal government upon the advice of a lawyer. The documents were returned Sunday night.

"Maxime was aware of everything," she says, referring to her past involvement with some rough characters -- a claim some government officials have disputed.