"Because it's 2015"

I've been thinking about the new cabinet, and Justin Trudeau's explanation of why it's half women.  My mind keeps circling back to the same thing, I hate that the reason the cabinet is half women is "because it's 2015."

I hate it because it reminds me of all the times in school the teachers told the team captains in gym class that every other person they picked for their teams had to be a girl, because we're fair like that now.  It implies that a rigid quota is needed to have half of the cabinet ministers be women, because somehow we don't qualify on our merits alone.

I really wish the answer had been, "yeah, of the people I had to choose from there were just so many intelligent, passionate, and above all capable women that I had to pick these people to be in my cabinet."  Because I think the women he choose are intelligent, passionate, and capable, and I wish it was those qualities that had been emphasized.  I suppose that wouldn't have been as good a sound bite, though.