CREDIT: SAFAK OGUZ / THINKSTOCK
Like choosing a cabinet at Ikea, choosing cabinet ministers can be a lengthy process, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau begs to differ.

As every couple at Ikea can tell you, picking a cabinet can be a lengthy process. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would beg to differ.

The cabinet is a group of individuals who have specific portfolios to manage. Notable positions include health care, education and foreign affairs.

Appointing an MP to the cabinet is indicative of their position within the party. The prime minister typically fills the cabinet with ministers who share his vision for development in whichever area they’re chosen to specialize in.

Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper maintained an intimate inner circle of cabinet ministers who were in charge of areas thought to be of pivotal importance. The finance and foreign affairs portfolios are subject to intense scrutiny with far-reaching implications for the international community, and were thusly controlled by MPs who had proven their competence and loyalty.

The process was different for Trudeau because he hasn’t had the opportunity to familiarize himself with all of the recently elected Liberal MP’s. Many of the cabinet members have considerable experience in politics, but there was also a deliberate effort to select ministers who will challenge convention.

Trudeau had his cabinet selected well before his swearing-in ceremony on Nov. 4. The appointments were kept secret until the ceremony, but certain details such as size and gender representation were released beforehand.

Female MPs had a much higher chance of being selected for cabinet positions; 14 of the 50 elected women will comprise half of the incoming cabinet. The remaining 14 positions will be filled from a roster of over a hundred MPs.

It can be difficult for an incoming cabinet minister to become an authority on their portfolio. The issues are often filled with complexities that require careful consideration.

Cabinet minister’s decisions affect millions of Canadians, including those who live beyond our borders.

There was considerable controversy when notable actor Donald Sutherland drew attention to the fact that Canadians living abroad were prohibited from voting back home, despite being passport-holding citizens. Issues of this nature tend to stay under the radar until an individual or a publication bring it into the public eye, but it’s the kind of minutiae that defines a cabinet minister’s job. Cabinet appointments say a lot about the kind of government that a prime minister is seeking to run.

Trudeau’s decision to have a comparatively small group of ministers could be interpreted as an effort to centralize power, or it could be an indication that he intends to democratize the process of decision making in some areas.

With equal gender representation and appointees from every province, the cabinet will attempt to reflect the interests of as broad a cross-section of the population as possible.
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