Ministers switch portfolios all the time so they definitely don't have in in depth knowledge of the portfolio they are representing.
As for qualifications you see it in the private sector all the time when a company brings in a CEO who has never worked in the industry before. The cabinet minister is the head of an area but they do not run the day to day operations. Looking at the Minister of Education, that is Thomas Lukaszuk, but under him is Deputy Minister Kerey Henke who is a permanent employee of the Government of Alberta. His job is to run the department while Thomas is the liaison between him and the government.
With a new government Kerey Henke will still be around to run the ministry but someone else will be the go-between.
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