I don't think many would complain if women or minorities were selected purely based on merit. The issue is when groups come out and say that they're mandating a certain % of a role to be women or minorities. Hence, it is no longer a merit-based decision. Even if the minorities or women are truly the most qualified, it is reasonable to assume that at least some were selected to fill quotas. This is why I believe that quotas actually hurt minorities because many people will assume they are just quota-fillers even when that is not the case.
If Trudeau came out and just appointed his current cabinet without making a big deal about it filling certain quotas before hand it wouldn't have been an issue at all. Now when people like Monsef and Sajjan drop the ball, people are going to assume they weren't the most qualified in the first place and were selected to meet a quota.
I'm from the MLK camp: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Ironically, it's now self-proclaimed progressives that are clamoring to group people together based on ethnicity, gender, etc.