Women in gender-parity cabinet reflect on first year as ministers

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed last year to bring gender parity — an equal number of men and women — to the federal cabinet, responding to a question about “why” with the memorable retort, “because it’s 2015.”

Now that 2016 is on its way out, female ministers reflect on what it has been like to be a woman in cabinet, working with so many other women.

International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau:

“(When we are sworn in), we say something like, ‘I swear that I will say, obviously the truth, but I will say what I think sincerely and honestly.’ So, the first time I had to give my opinion on an important subject, I was not really aligned with the others in the beginning. It took a lot of courage the first time to dare and say my word, and after that, another young cabinet minister thought the same thing as I did, and said so. Finally, when the decision was made, it was different and that was ok. But a couple of weeks after, an older, male minister came to us and said, ‘You know, young girls, you were right.’ The decision eventually changed a little and we adapted to the situation. That was interesting to see, that young women around the cabinet table could bring this fresh way of looking at things that was useful and complementary to the experience that was already around the table.”

Environment Minister Catherine McKenna:

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“I think maybe what stood out is that nothing stands out. . . There was discussion, I remember, in the lead-up to cabinet being announced, where people were saying, ‘Oh no, what’s this going to mean?’ and ‘Are you going to be able to find good women?’ And the reality is that the answer is, I think, yes. And then you get on with the business of governing and actually doing what we were elected to do and delivering on our promises.”

Public Services Minister Judy Foote:

“Being around a cabinet table isn’t something new for me. I’ve had the opportunity before to work with very talented individuals who really do want to make a difference. Being around the table now, with such a diverse group of individuals who bring so much to the table, is truly rewarding, because you get to learn from each other. And, of course, the fact that half of my colleagues are women — I keep saying, it’s not that we do it better, it’s that we do it differently, based on our experiences. So, that’s really interesting for me, because it’s the first time I’ve been at a cabinet table where you’ve had an equal number of men and women.”

Joanna Smith, The Canadian Press