Justin Trudeau Praises #MeToo and Time's Up

In a speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau praised the #MeToo and Time's Up movements for bringing to light the serious issue of sexual harassment in the workplace.

"These movements show us we must have a critical discussion on women's rights, equality, and the power dynamics of gender. Sexual harassment, for example, in business and government is a systemic problem and it is unacceptable," he said to applause from the audience. "As leaders, we must recognize and act to truly show that time is up."

Companies need to have a better process for filing workplace harassment claims, he said, and when someone does file a claim, they have to take them seriously.

"As women speak up, it is our responsibility to listen, and more importantly, to believe," Trudeau said.

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He continued to say that just paying women and men the same amount doesn't erase the problem. To truly fight gender inequality, you have to target the other barriers women face in the workplace, like the issues of family planning, promotions, and job security.

"Women do more part-time work, and more unpaid work than men," Trudeau said. "How do we address that?"

Trudeau also pointed out that among women who do make it into the workforce and succeed there, the vast majority are still white. He said that in 2016, 77 percent of the women who were appointed to the boards of Fortune 500 companies were white.

"Race, religion, sexuality, socioeconomic status, these are just a few of the ways that women are even further discriminated against," he said.

Canada has made more progress toward gender equality in the last year than almost any other country (second only to Bulgaria). Trudeau created the nation's first gender-balanced cabinet, and speaks openly about how he's raising all his children (not just the girls) to be feminists.

"Getting more women into the workforce isn't just the right thing to do, or the nice thing to do, it's the smart thing to do," he said at the forum.

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