Diversity in Cabinet of Canada
A Canadian Cabinet for 2015
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named the most diverse government in his country’s history
I think social discrimination such as racism, sexism, ableism won't disappeared not only by culture, but by system. Government must lead the change of societies. A leader’s mindset is paramount in here.
Last year I was very impressed by revolutionary cabinet of Canada. I just want to share and think about the diversity of Justin Trudeau's new cabinet and the leadership under their system. The cabinet of Canada consists of literally 50% men and 50% women. Besides that, It is composed of diverse members who have different races and backgrounds. When asked about his balanced gender cabinet, Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister of the Liberal Party responded "Because it's 2015".
I believe that the leader who knows the strength of diversity can lead the real change of society and social mood. Additionally, the ministers who have diverse origins can support their citizen's better lives regardless of race, sex, socio-economical class, and disability.
“Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named the most diverse government in his country’s history on Wednesday, the first to feature an equal number of men and women, saying he wanted to “present to Canada a cabinet that looks like Canada.”
The new cabinet was unveiled publicly as Trudeau and his ministers gathered at Rideau Hall in Ottawa for their formal swearing-in. Among its 30 ministers are two aboriginal politicians, two persons with disabilities, and three Sikhs. The cabinet is smaller than its 39-member predecessor and younger overall than past Canadian governments.
Leading the Canadian defense ministry is Harjit Sajjan, a first-time member of parliament representing South Vancouver. A Sikh whose family emigrated from India to Canada when he was five years old, Sajjan worked as a detective in the Vancouver Police Department before joining the Canadian military.
Jody Wilson-Raybould, the new justice minister, is one of eight aboriginal MPs in the new parliament. Hailing from the Kwakwaka’wakw people of coastal British Columbia, Wilson-Raybould served as a Crown prosecutor before becoming a prominent indigenous leader in the province. Canadian political observers interpreted her appointment as a sign of the Liberal government’s intent to focus on tribal legal issues, particularly Canada’s missing indigenous women, after almost a decade of perceived indifference from Harper’s government.
Maryam Monsef, the first Canadian MP born in Afghanistan, was appointed minister for democratic institutions, a position that focuses on parliamentary and electoral reform. Monsef fled her native country as a child after her father and uncle disappeared under suspicious circumstances during and after the turbulence of the Soviet invasion. Canada granted her and her remaining family refugee status and Monsef settled in Peterborough, Ontario, which she now represents in Parliament.
Other cabinet members include Carla Qualtrough, a legally blind paralympian and lawyer who served on the Canadian Human Rights Commission, as minister of sport and people with disabilities; former journalist Chrystia Freeland as international trade minister; Inuk legislator Hunter Tootoo as fisheries minister, a portfolio of significant importance for Canada’s Inuit community; and Jane Philpott, the first medical doctor to be appointed Canada’s minister of health.
The Liberals held only 36 seats in the previous parliament before voters catapulted the party to an outright majority of 184 seats in last month's election. As a result, many of the new ministers are also first-time members of parliament. In addition to the flood of new MPs, Trudeau returned some veteran members to the frontbench, including former Liberal leader Stéphane Dion, who became foreign minister.
Some of the ministries themselves were also renamed to reflect the Liberals’ priorities, a common practice in parliamentary governments like those of Canada and the United Kingdom. The minister of the environment is now the minister of the environment and climate change, sparking some discontent among the country’s oil and gas industry that had enjoyed favorable treatment under the previous government. The citizenship and immigration minister is now the minister of immigration, refugees, and citizenship; Trudeau pledged during the campaign to resettle 25,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees by year’s end.
Trudeau also fulfilled his pledge to form a gender-equal cabinet by appointing an equal number of men and women—a first in Canadian history. The move sets Canada apart from most other Western democracies, where gender parity in national government is rare. Finland and Sweden have more women than men in their governments, while France and Liechtenstein have an equal amount. The current British cabinet under Prime Minister David Cameron, by comparison, is roughly two-thirds male, while only seven of President Obama's 22 cabinet members are women.
During a Wednesday news conference in Ottawa, a reporter asked Trudeau why he chose to pursue gender parity in his cabinet. “Because it’s 2015,” he replied.
Matt ford (Nov 5. 2015)