Canada’s new, young prime minister, Justin Trudeau, is kind of hot. I just have to get that out there.
But now that that’s out, it’s worth admitting—he’s got much more than looks on his side.
Trudeau made some serious waves in world politics last week. He did what no other G7 country has come even remotely close to doing: After being sworn in as PM, he appointed a 50% female cabinet. Replying to a query on why he chose to make the cabinet gender equal, Trudeau, in a sound bite that later sparked dozens of internet memes, famously replied, “Because it’s 2015. It’s time.”
He continued further, “It’s an incredible pleasure for me to be before you here today to present to Canada a cabinet that looks like Canada.” Well said, prime minister!
Unlike a number of actors, singers, politicians and high profile figures lately, Trudeau has also not shied away from associating himself with the term “feminist.” Rather, Trudeau has proudly declared his support for the equality movement. “Yes. I am a feminist. Proud to be a feminist. My mom raised me to be a feminist. My father raised me … to respect and defend everyone’s rights, and I am deeply grounded my own identity,” he said.
The designations Trudeau has given aren’t nominal positions, either. The female ministers in his Cabinet will be handling serious issues and have real power. This includes Jody Wilson-Raybould, appointed as justice minister and attorney general; former journalist Chrystia Freeland, who is in charge of international trade; Jane Philpott, the new health minister; and Maryam Monsef, who fled Afghanistan as a refugee 20 years ago, will oversee the democratic reform portfolio. It’s important to note, too, that the women—and men—Trudeau has appointed come from very diverse backgrounds, adding further to the range of experiences he will have to strategically draw from.
So why does any of this matter?
Well, Trudeau’s appointment of 50% women comes at a time when few countries are willing to recognize the low levels of female participation in political spheres. Women make up just 25% of Washington’s Cabinet of 16. In the United Kingdom, women represent one-third of the cabinet. Finland’s government has the most female representation in the world, with 10 out of 16 ministers being women, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Canada, with these new appointments, now ranks on joint-third place, alongside France and the European principality of Liechtenstein. On the other hand, there still remain countries like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan who have no women representatives on their cabinets.
Having women representatives in the political sphere does make a difference, especially in the long run. Having diversity is important for any organization, as anyone who’s been in a leadership position would know. Women inherently have different experiences than men, and thus bring those experiences and leadership with them. But there’s also the fact that women also make up roughly 50% of the population. The lack of representation that exists in most countries is a huge disservice to that half of the population. Without female representation, issues that are specific to women may not be so readily protected. It’s the reason why anti-feminist bills, like the defunding of Planned Parenthood, are so easily able to gain traction in Congress.
The appointment of a gender balanced cabinet means huge things for young girls across Canada, too. Having new, powerful women step into the political limelight means a whole new world of role models opening up to a generation of young girls who would have not seen any otherwise.
So yes, Canada’s new Prime Minister is hot. But like a true feminist, I’m sure he’d be glad to know that, looking at him, we saw so much more.
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