Sophie Gregoire Trudeau joined CTV’s Your Morning on Tuesday to discuss the #GirlsBelongHere initiative, changing the conversation about women in society, her family and her international status as a role model. Gregoire Trudeau was accompanied by 17-year-old Jathusha Mahenthirarajan, a Richmond Hill, Ont. student who participated in the #GirlsBelongHere program by working with the Minister for Status of Women, Patty Hajdu, in Ottawa.

Gregoire Trudeau said Plan Canada’s #GirlsBelongHere initiative is all about collaborating with different organizations such as G(irls)20 and FitSpirit, to spark a conversation about women and girls taking leadership roles in the workplace, in school, in sport and anywhere else they choose. Gregoire Trudeau said that it’s important to engage men and boys in the dialogue too, in order to change the status quo.

“This conversation ignites so much potential for great discussions between women but also between women and men,” Gregoire Trudeau said.

Gregoire Trudeau quoted a slogan Mahenthirarajan invented about “calling in” men and boys instead of “calling out” them when it comes to the topic of gender equality.

Mahenthirarajan said working on the initiative in Ottawa helped her feel empowered and inspired her to pursue a career in politics one day. She believes the Canadian government needs more women of colour and she would like to be a part of that change in the future.

Gregoire Trudeau also discussed how she and her husband, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, shape the conversation about gender at home with their three young children.

“The type of language that you use within your own household concerning women is hugely important,” Gregoire Trudeau said.

The prime minister’s wife had a message for young girls and boys, that if they want something they can accomplish it. Gregoire Trudeau said they shouldn’t be afraid to change the status quo and challenge what’s accepted.

“The hardest thing to change in a society is what has become normal,” she said. “Normal isn’t good forever. We need to evolve.”