Conservative leadership hopeful Kevin O’Leary says the prime minister has ended up with a mediocre cabinet because he was more concerned about diversity than competence.
O’Leary says he believes diversity and gender parity is important in government, but if elected, he would balance that diversity with competence.
He said Justin Trudeau made a mistake and prioritized diversity over who was most qualified for the job.
O’Leary noted in an interview with The Canadian Press that most of his returns in the private sector have come from companies run or owned by women, so “of course I’m going to bring women into government.”
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In his first cabinet of 30 ministers, Trudeau said he appointed an equal number of men and women “because it’s 2015.”
O’Leary said he’d be happy with a cabinet that’s 70 per cent women so long as they were competent.