More recently a member of the provincial Action démocratique du Québec and the federal Conservative Party of Canada, Verner had previously worked as a political staffer in Quebec City in the Robert Bourassa government.
She was a candidate for the Conservatives in the 2004 federal election and finished second with 31% of the vote, the party's best Quebec showing, in a three-way race that was won by the Bloc Québécois's Bernard Cleary.
It was subsequently specified that he was appointed parliamentary secretary to Josée Verner for his experience as opposition critic for International Co-operation rather than for La Francophonie.
After losing her seat in the House of Commons in the 2011 election, Verner was appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to the Canadian Senate on May 18, 2011.
[7] In January 2021, The Globe and Mail reported that Verner was vacationing in Florida contrary to public health advice to avoid non-essential international travel during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.