5. Canadian federal (or for that matter provincial) cabinets have never, ever been "strict meritocracies."
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Replying to @HeerJeet
6. Every Canadian government tries to have a regional parity in cabinet -- i.e. select people from BC, prairies, Ontario, Quebec, maritimes
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Replying to @HeerJeet
7. When Conservatives win very few seats in Quebec or Liberals in Alberta, they still pick people from those regions for cabinet.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
8. The regional parity of Canadian gov'ts is a quota: they pick not by abstract ideal of merit but democratic ideal of representation
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Replying to @HeerJeet
9. But even more: women in Canada didn't get vote till 1918. So before then there was a legal quota keeping political power in male hands.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
10. With few exceptions, Native Canadians didn't get vote till early 1960s. So legal quota keeping political power exclusive to non-Natives
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Replying to @HeerJeet
11. But even beyond legal barriers, there are social barriers that have barred women (and Natives and non-whites) from political power.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
12. It doesn't take much historical or sociological knowledge to know that Canadian politics has been narrowly based old boy's club.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
13. A digression. I feel like an gibbering fool for even pointing out these very basic facts which any child should know but Jon Kay doesn't
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Replying to @HeerJeet
14. The abstract ideal of meritocracy looks very odd in a world of social networks and political dynasties (Bushes, Trudeaus, etc.)
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15. Of the countless screeds against affirmative action & diversity that Jon Kay has penned, my favourite appeared in Commentary magazine
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Replying to @HeerJeet
16. Commentary was edited for many decades by Norman Podhoretz. And then after a brief pause passed on to John Podhoretz. A coincidence!
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Replying to @HeerJeet
17. A neo-conservative is someone who hates affirmative action but loves nepotism. Jon Kay is a neo-con.
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