Who are the members of the cabinet?

Nominally the Cabinet is appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister, which means that in practice the Prime Minister selects the members. The process of selection is an extremely complex affair, as in addition to personal qualifications of the possible ministers there is a number of conventions that have to be followed. There is usually a minister from each province in Canada, with a member taken from the Senate if there are no available Members of Parliament (MPs); visible minorities must be represented, and as many women as possible should be included. Interest groups that support the government also need to be appeased. Each member of the governing party desires a cabinet position and there are always some members who feel embittered at being passed over. The process is difficult and one of the most important decisions a Prime Minister must make. John A. Macdonald once half-jokingly listed his occupation as cabinet maker. Those chosen do not, despite tradition to the contrary, have to be elected Members of Parliament; Senators have also been members. Yet there is nothing to stop a Prime Minister from choosing virtually anyone he wishes. Stephen Harper's appointment of Michael Fortier to the Cabinet (2006), despite his not being an elected MP or a member of the Senate, is the most recent such example. Tradition, however, requires that someone appointed to the cabinet who is not a member of one of the two houses of parliament, should be appointed to the Senate or seek election in a by-election to the House of Commons in short order.