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Tory shadow cabinet lacks gender parity but features women in key roles

Tory shadow cabinet lacks gender parity but features women in key roles

Less than a month after the Liberals officially took over leadership of the country, the official Opposition has announced its shadow cabinet and critics.

And while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau might have been applauded for unveiling a cabinet that displayed multiculturalism and gender parity “because it’s 2015,” the Tories don’t follow such a trend.

Eleven of the 32 shadow cabinet ministers and critics are women and four are visible minorities. Click here to see the full shadow government.

While the Liberals were lauded as truly representing Canadians, one political expert says this issue isn’t front-of-mind for most people.

“For some people it’s an issue, but I don’t think it’s going to affect public opinion much,” says Nelson Wiseman, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto. “I don’t think the public voted on the basis that Trudeau was going to have half women (in his caucus) and that’s why he won a majority.”

He adds that being a critic also doesn’t hold as much weight as being a minister.

“You get up in the House and you get to ask questions,” he says. “You’re not running anything, no one’s working for you. You don’t have any budgets to dispense or patronage to hand out. And organizations aren’t calling you to come give speeches. They want the minster. ”

A representative for Equal Voices, a national multi-partisan organization that promotes the election of more women says the Tories are “punching above their weight,” which is consistent to when they were the leading party. Eleven of the 17 women in their caucus were given roles in the shadow cabinet.

“We were always encouraged that they recognized that even though they had a fairly low percentage of women in the caucus that they needed women to assume prominent position, and that proportion would have to exceed women in their caucus,” says spokeswoman Nancy Peckford. “It demonstrates an on-going commitment that women are playing important roles in their party.”

Interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose was unavailable for comment Friday but the party did provide a statement.

The Shadow Cabinet and Critics is a diverse group of men and women from across Canada. Ms. Ambrose has long been advocate for more women in politics and in leadership roles. All of the women in the Conservative Caucus will play a key role not only Parliament, but in the Party as we look to rebuild. We are proud that 100% of women in the Conservative Caucus have a role as either a critic or deputy critic.

It adds that those women who were chosen to be critics were appointed important portfolios.

Ambrose, who’s held several minister roles including health minister, is now interim leader of the Opposition and critic for the status of women. Michelle Rempel, former minster of state, will now be shadow critic for citizenship, immigration and refugees.

Lisa Raitt, formerly natural resources minister, labour minister and transport minister under Stephen Harper, will now be finance critic, a position that hasn’t been held by a woman in the Opposition, according to Wiseman.

“The most interesting thing is that they chose Rona Ambrose as the leader,” Wiseman says. “When did the Liberals do that? That’s the most significant position. She’ll get up every day and ask the first question.”