What do you think of the new Liberal cabinet?
A truly Canadian cabinet: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's sending a message with a cabinet full of many new faces, including 50% women. Some say the choices should be based on merit not identity. What do you think of the new cabinet?
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INTRODUCTION
They include a former astronaut and a former bus driver; a symphony orchestra oboist, a millionaire businessman, a geoscientist, a Paralympian and a refugee who fled the Taliban. Those are just some of the 15 men and 15 women who make up the new cabinet under Justin Trudeau, who was sworn in as our 23rd prime minister last week.
Much has been made about the fact that half of the new cabinet are women - as Trudeau put it, it is 2015 and it's a cabinet that looks like Canada. Some of its members are rookie MP's as well.
Along with the country's first gender-balanced cabinet, this week also saw the appointment of Canada's first aboriginal federal justice minister, Jody Wilson-Raybould.
The new ministers are already planning to move quickly on key promises: tax relief for middle-class Canadians, amending anti-terror laws, changing the law on physician assisted death and we can't forget about the plan to bring in thousands of Syrian refugees.
Today we want to hear your thoughts on the new cabinet, the new prime minister and what you expect from them when parliament returns on December 3rd.
What do you feel the priorities should be for the cabinet and for the government in the coming months?
Was there anything that surprised or disappointed you about the new cabinet appointments? This cabinet is notable for its youthfulness. Will that be a problem or an asset?
Some have suggested that rather than set gender parity as an official goal and drawing attention to it, the Prime Minister should simply have gone ahead and appointed his cabinet of half men and half women and let those appointments speak for themselves. What do you think? Has this set a precedent for future governments?
The new Conservative party interim leader, Rona Ambrose, says she will lead the strongest official opposition ever. What role do you see the new official opposition party playing when the House returns next month? And will the more positive tone Trudeau is promising be sustained in the hurly burly of House of Commons business?
Our question today: "What are your thoughts on the Trudeau government's new cabinet?"
I'm Suhana Meharchand ...on CBC Radio One ...and on Sirius XM, satellite radio channel 169 ...this is Cross Country Checkup.
GUESTS
Jennifer Ditchburn
Senior Parliamentary Correspondent, Canadian Press.
Twitter: @jenditchburn
Sheila Copps
Former Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Cabinet Minister.
Twitter: @Sheila_Copps
Lydia Miljan
Political Science Professor and Assistant Provost of Interfaculty Programs at the University of Windsor.
Twitter: @lmiljan
Bessma Momani
Political Science Professor, University of Waterloo and Senior Fellow at the Centre For International Governance and Innovation.
Twitter: @b_momani
LINKS
CBC.ca
- Because it's 2015': Trudeau forms Canada's 1st gender-balanced cabinet
- Full list of Justin Trudeau's cabinet
- Justin Trudeau's cabinet gender quota raises debate
- Behind the scenes with Justin Trudeau on his 1st day as PM
- Is gender parity a 'throwback to another era?'
Globe and Mail
- Trudeau's 'Because it's 2015' retort draws international attention
- Trudeau's ability to sustain new mood of optimism matters a great deal
- What his cabinet show tells us about Trudeau's vision
National Post
- For a day, Trudeau's positive symbolism was an antidote to austere Harper years
- How Justin Trudeau's cabinet compares to Stephen Harper's first team
- Trudeau cabinet should be based on merit, not gender, by Andrew Coyne
- Five things Justin Trudeau can do on day one
Macleans