Six of the 30 ministers making up the new cabinet of the Canadian government are from Quebec.

Stephane Dion - Minister of Foreign Affairs

Riding: Saint-Laurent

Age: 60

First elected to parliament: 1996

Past Profession: Academic, author

Social media: (@HonStephaneDion / Facebook)

Formerly: Liberal leader, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs

Dion has served as an MP for the Montreal riding of Saint-Laurent (formerly known as Saint-Laurent-Cartierville) for nearly two decades. The former academic stepped down as Liberal leader after a failed bid to carry the party to an election win in 2008.

Dion has previous experience as a cabinet minister, overseeing intergovernmental affairs under Jean Chretien and environment under Paul Martin.

Dion had briefly taken up the separatist cause as a young man but he came to parliament to fight the sovereignty movement. He is responsible for introducing The Clarity Act, which laid out terms under which the federal government would enter into negotiations for secession by one of the provinces.
 

Jean-Yves Duclos - Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

Riding: Quebec

Age: 50

First elected to parliament: 2015

Past profession: Director of Economics at Universite Laval

Social media: (@jyduclos/ Facebook)

Duclos is an economics expert, published author and conference speaker. He is involved with a number of economic associations, including the Canadian Economics Association and C.D. Howe Institute. He is also the co-founder of the Poverty and Economic Policy Research Network.

Fact: In 2014, Duclos was made a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the highest accolade bestowed on Canadian researchers.
 

Marc Garneau - Minister of Transport

Riding: Notre-Dame-de-Grace-Westmount

Age: 66

First elected to parliament: 2008

Past profession: Astronaut and Navy commander

Social media: (@MarcGarneau / Facebook)

Known by many for his exploits in space, then on Earth, the former astronaut represented the downtown Montreal riding of Westmount-Ville Marie, and now represents the redrawn riding of Notre-Dame-de-Grace-Westmount. Garneau initially made a bid for Liberal leadership in 2012, but eventually withdrew and threw his support behind Trudeau. Most recently, he served as the Liberal foreign affairs critic.

Fact: Garneau started his career in the Royal Canadian Navy and rose to the rank of Commander, before becoming the first Canadian to fly in space in 1984. He went on to become the president of the Canadian Space Agency.
 

Marie-Claude Bibeau - Minister of International Development and La Francophonie

Riding: Compton-Stanstead

First elected to parliament: 2015

Past profession: Former CIDA employee and campground owner

Social media: (@mclaudebibeau / Facebook)

Bibeau had a varied career before making the jump into politics. She started at the now-defunct Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), working in Canada and Africa. For the past 15 years, she's co-owned a small tourism business called Camping de Compton. She is also the executive director of the Sherbrooke Museum of Nature and Science.

Fact: Bibeau is married to Sherbrooke Mayor Bernard Sévigny.
 

Melanie Joly - Minister of Canadian Heritage

Riding: Ahuntsic-Cartierville

Age: 36

First elected to parliament: 2015

Past profession: Lawyer, communications partner, mayoral candidate

Social media: (@melaniejoly / Facebook)

Joly is not new to the political world. She was the runner-up in the 2013 Montreal mayoral race, losing to Denis Coderre but taking a quarter of the vote. A lawyer by trade, Joly practiced in Montreal before jumping into communications at international firm Cohn & Wolfe. Joly also helped organize Trudeau's Liberal leadership campaign.

Fact: Joly was an intern at Radio-Canada in 2007. She is now the Minister in charge of the CBC. 
 

Diane Lebouthillier - Minister of National Revenue

Riding: Gaspesie-Les Iles de la Madeleine

First elected to parliament: 2015

Past profession: Social worker

Social media: (@dilebouthillier/Facebook)

Lebouthillier spent 23 years at the Rocher Percé Health and Social Services Centre, and also worked for Gaspé MNA Georges Mamelonet on social issues. She has served on the boards of Cegep de la Gaspesie Les iles, the Reseau Collectif Gaspesie Les Iles, Transport Adapté et collectif des Anses, and Les Ateliers Actibec 2000. In 2013, she was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the Royal Canadian Legion for her work.

Fact: She's the owner of La Ferme du Petit Moulin, a farm-based retreat in Gaspe that boasts seven chalets.