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You have to say this for the new Liberal cabinet, it certainly has some impressive-sounding figures. If you study the background and accomplishments of the men and women who will head up important ministries, you’re struck by how much more qualified they are than the man who appointed them.

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Justin Trudeau spent a few years teaching drama and snowboarding before he began earning a living giving speeches. After winning a seat in Parliament in 2008 he served as critic on immigration issues before interim leader Bob Rae bumped him to secondary education, youth and amateur sport, which sure sounds like a demotion.

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His finance minister, in contrast, has Master’s degrees in economics and business administration, has a long and successful Bay Street career as founder of a company that now employs more than 3,000, and in which his holdings are reportedly valued at $30 million. He founded a special school for Somali and Sudanese youth in an African refugee camp in his spare time.

Health Minister Jane Philpott spent a decade practicing medicine in Africa, raised $4 million towards AIDS treatment and helped found Ethiopia’s first training program for family medicine. Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould served as a Crown prosecutor in one of Vancouver’s worst neighbourhoods, headed a commission overseeing treaty negotiations with First Nations and has a long and impressive resume of contributions to First Nations governance. Marc Garneau was the first Canadian astronaut to fly in space. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan spent 11 years as a Vancouver cop before serving with the Canadian Forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Afghanistan.