Jury out on new Cabinet’s substance

Cabinet-making, Justin Trudeau style, involves both symbolism and substance. The trick is to make sure the former is not accomplished at the expense of the latter. In naming Anita Anand to the defence portfolio, there’s good reason to believe he has managed to square that circle.

The symbolism is obvious: a woman leading the department when Canada’s military leadership is being torn apart by the issue of sexual misconduct. But much more important is the substance: Anand has a solid track record in supplying Canada with vital vaccines and impressive credentials as an expert in organisational governance that give good reason to believe she will be able to make real progress where the hapless Harjit Sajjan so notably failed.

In foreign affairs, however, it’s far less clear that the prime minister has found the right balance. Me´ lanie Joly ticks the symbolism box, for sure, but unlike Anand, Joly has a decidedly mediocre record in government and the risk is she will fall short on substance in one of the government’s highest-profile positions.

Joly was demoted after flaming out at the Heritage department and it’s a mystery why she’s been suddenly vaulted into foreign affairs. Trudeau has now set the table for his third term in office. As usual, he scores high on symbolism, but the record is still to be written on substance.