Canada's Prime Minister Explains Why Being A Feminist Is So Important

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau proudly proclaimed that he is a feminist during a global town hall that The Huffington Post Canada hosted on the eve of International Women's Day.

"I myself am a feminist and I believe that we need to make sure that we have pay equity and gender equality right across the board," he said.

The 44-year-old Liberal leader has emphasized women's rights as a top priority for his party since he assumed office in November, and has encouraged his cabinet ministers -- 15 women and 15 men -- to do the same.

Its #IWD2016! Today, our Cabinet ministers take over this account & explain why they're working to make the #PledgeForParity a reality.

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Its #IWD2016 ! Today, our Cabinet ministers take over this account & explain why they're working to make the #PledgeForParity a reality.
Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) March 8, 2016

Trudeau dominated headlines late last year when a reporter asked why it was so important for him to appoint Canada's first-ever gender-balanced Cabinet on the day of his inauguration. "Because it's 2015," he replied, without hesitation.

The leader swiftly promised to launch a national inquiry into the thousands of indigenous women who have gone missing or been murdered in Canada over the decades -- a move that former prime minister Stephen Harper opposed , despite a public outcry.

Canada ranks 30th out of 145 countries for gender equality, two places behind the U.S., according to the World Economic Forum.

The WEF predicted it would take another 117 years to close the global economic gender gap, noted HuffPost reader Bushra Ebadi, who asked Trudeau what Canada would do to expedite the process.