Canada’s Prime Minister said something incredibly important about gender parity
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said something pretty important about gender parity, particularly concerning his gender-equal political Cabinet.
Justin Trudeau spoke at the World Economic Forum about appointing his first Cabinet after being sworn in in November.
After being sworn in in November, he did something pretty special when appointing his new Cabinet.
Trudeau appointed a team which is made up of a totally gender-equal team. 50% of those appointed to Cabinet positions are women.
However, speaking at the weekend, he said: “Once I displayed the cabinet, nobody talked [about merit]”.
Trudeau’s political Cabinet
“I look forward to a point where people don’t notice the diversity in cabinet, or that it’s 50-50 men and women, that it’s just, yes, this is a government that looks like Canada and it will engage with Canada the right way,” Trudeau went on.
He also spoke at the Forum about the need for men and boys to be included in the dialogue about feminism.
He said it is so important for women and girls to be inspired and empowered, and he is proud to work with his wife on initiatives to ensure that happens.
But he went on to say boys have to also be educated about why feminism is necessary.
In the video, he says: “We shouldn’t be afraid to use the word feminist. Men and women should use it to describe themselves whenever they want.”
“I personally convinced a number of extraordinary women to step forward, as well as a number of extraordinary men, at a time when politics can be very very divisive.
“Study after study have shown that if you ask a man if he wants to run for office his first question is likely to be: ‘Do I have to wear a tie every day?’ And if you ask a woman if she wants to run for office, her first question is usually, ‘Really, why me?’ Let’s start rewarding politicians and companies who aren’t driven by a macho approach,” Trudeau continued.
