A cabinet for real change

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By: Sunanna Bhasin/Opinions Columnist

When Trudeau’s cabinet was announced, I was ecstatic to see the 50/50 split between male and female members, as well as an increase in diverse members. But since this announcement, there have been compliments and criticisms in equal measure.

One of the biggest criticisms is whether this attempt to have gender equality and minority representation in the cabinet is simply a form of tokenism. Tokenism is the practice of including members of minority groups in a superficial way that does not guarantee substantive representation. Tokenism has a negative connotation because it creates the impression that the employer does not want to be seen as discriminatory in the public eye, but isn’t actually taking the steps to create true equality in the workplace.

One may ask then, how do we differentiate between hiring token employees and genuinely wanting to create an inclusive environment? While it is a valid concern that Trudeau’s gender quota could be a form of tokenism, it is also valid to have a system of affirmative action in place on the world stage. Affirmative action ensures that minorities are given opportunities they are systematically denied in a world where white privilege and sexism still exist.

The critics calling tokenism are coming from the right place, but looking at the details of the new Cabinet, tokenization does not seem to be at play. To say that Trudeau’s cabinet is full of token employees is to say that the gender quota was fulfilled without any attention to the valuable experience and skills each member has. In fact, a look at the experiences of the members shows that each cabinet minister has something unique to bring to the Liberal government.

Trudeau did not simply pluck fifteen women from parliament while blindfolded, nor did he seek to add a pre-determined amount of non-White members to his cabinet. He went into the process acknowledging that he wanted equality and diversity to be displayed to the world, but did not perpetuate tokenism by carelessly crossing off identities on a checklist.

It has been argued that there are better options out there, but that’s always a possibility. How can critics really know what a “better” option looks like when the skills each cabinet minister has are so diverse? If Canada holds the notions of equality and diversity at the heart of its national identity and wants to advocate for them on a global scale, then Trudeau’s cabinet selection is a great step forward in doing so. In fact, Trudeau’s female cabinet members have been given positions in sectors where women around the world seem to be underrepresented.

For example, MP Kirsty Duncan is now the Minister of Science, and it is a well-known fact that women tend to be marginalized in the STEM fields. Giving the position of Minister of Science to a well-educated woman like Duncan, who has a background in medical geography, meteorology, and climatology, is a positive step that has the potential of encouraging Canadian STEM employers to prioritize what Canada values: gender equality.

In addition, Trudeau has incorporated Members of Parliaments with diverse cultural backgrounds into his cabinet to better represent Canada’s multicultural environment and acknowledge the fact that different perspectives are valuable to the government. National Defence Minister, Harjit Sajjan, has been popular with many media outlets due to his Sikh background and military experience. Not only has he served as a soldier during three separate deployments to Afghanistan, he has also worked as a police officer. Given the first-hand knowledge of military missions, he will be able to make educated decisions in regards to ending the combat mission against ISIS, his main responsibility.

These examples are just two of many that serve as testimony to the fact that Trudeau’s cabinet was not merely a quota game. Rather, he carefully selected MPs with experience that would allow them to fulfill their duties exceptionally well, all the while ensuring that gender parity existed. Believe it or not, it is possible to have the best of both worlds if one is determined enough to bring about real change.

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