“Because it’s 2015” couldn’t be more poignant

By Kat Karpoff
@katkarpoff

It’s baffling that the question was even asked, but when newly elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a reporter he’d appointed a gender-balanced cabinet, his simple reply was, “Because it’s 2015.”

Trudeau announced a while ago that he would be making his cabinet an equal 50/50 male and female balance. He recently lived up to that promise.  When it happened, there was a huge uproar and questions started coming to light.

“Why would you do that?”

“Isn’t it more important to put the person that is best suited for the job?”

“Because it’s 2015.”

Why was this the perfect answer?

Trudeau understands the current generation and he has the bigger picture in mind. He has a picture of the future that Generation Y, Generation X, and the millennials want to come to fruition:  one of equality and diversity that some don’t seem to get.  There has long been a battle of equality in this world over gender and race. Why these are still causes for consideration is baffling.

His message is one of equality and diversity.

That the 50/50 cabinet was even questioned shows that we still have a long way to go but at least our generation is starting to see a brighter future; one where our female friends aren’t being cut out of the running because of gender; where our Muslim friends aren’t being condemned because of a few radicals that have nothing to do with individual beliefs.

Trudeau’s Canada is off to a positive start: a country that doesn’t discriminate over race, gender, sexuality or religion.  A country where those identifiers are secondary to a person’s skill set.

Because it’s 2015.

Kat Karpoff is a modern hippie, actress, writer, and lover of all things creative.