“Because it’s 2015”

As a native of Canada, and a dual citizen of the US and Canada, I could not be more thrilled that my countrymen and women have elected Justin Trudeau as their new Prime Minister, or more delighted by the headlines he’s grabbing with resounding support for his visionary actions in the earliest days of holding office.

Perhaps you’ve heard that he’s made history by appointing the first Cabinet in Canada’s history to have an equal number of male and female members. When asked why, he answered simply, “Because it’s 2015.” Furthermore, he says this Cabinet “looks like Canada,” and he’s right. Trudeau is already demonstrating leadership. He is showing initiative, doing what is needed now.

Gender equality and overall diversity are issues I have addressed repeatedly in my articles*, and they are issues being tackled by people around the world through a variety of means, including quotas. What Prime Minister Trudeau accomplished by prioritizing gender parity in his Cabinet selection was not just bypassing quotas or making token “diversity hires,” he was reminding us all of the impact one person in a position of leadership and power actually has. His actions will be instrumental in effecting an overdue shift in how we govern our organizations inclusive of women. He reinforced a critical truth: that women should not have to prove that they are invaluable assets—they just ARE.

In my article, “Diversity Quotas for Boards: What We Should Do,” which I published on April 16 of this year, I said: “In 2015, it is my opinion that as leaders we need to demonstrate our emotional intelligence and intellectual capacity to fully embrace each other beyond gender, age and ethnicity. We can’t lead with fear and scrutiny as our levers; we must lead as evolved beings rooted in the present with the future in mind. All leaders need to ‘take the lead’ with full accountability, thoughtfully addressing diversity within our boards.”

It is beyond exciting to see such a prominent leader fully embrace this point of view!

Having been born in Quebec, French is my native language, and I was not proficient in English when I was attending York University in Toronto for a degree in Computer Science. One of my first summer jobs while I was in college was translating some of Justin’s father’s speeches, former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (or PET, as we called him in Canada), to improve my English.” My generation and our parents watched Justin Trudeau grow up, and I believe we collectively hoped that he would one day create his own legacy in politics, so seeing it actually happen is especially exciting. Many challenges are still to be overcome, and Justin Trudeau still needs to demonstrate his leadership on critical fronts, but one has already been handled with great clarity and unwavering determination.

It is refreshing that Justin is grounded. He appears to have strong family values, and his record shows that he is environmentally conscious and a leader of the people—regardless of their pocket size. He relates to all generations and societal classes. I am watching him with confidence, expecting to witness positive ripple effects.

Congratulations, Prime Minister Trudeau, and thank you for your 21st Century debut! You know that we are overdue for the needed change.

*I invite you to read these additional articles I’ve written that address diversity: Boards: You Need Women. , Diversity Quotas for Boards: What we should do, and Diversity Quotas for Boards: What’s happening now.