Jacinda Ardern, Justin Trudeau and Sadiq Khan join forces for gender equality
Students were interested to ask the leaders a range of questions, from advice on becoming Prime Minister, how students can be involved in fighting gender equality and what feminism means to Ardern and Trudeau.
A group of 80 young Londoners have quizzed Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at high profile event, hosted by London's mayor Sadiq Khan.
At City Hall, against a backdrop of London's Tower Bridge, Ardern told the group of about 80 secondary school students chosen from the Lewisham, Southwark and Haringey areas, despite being proud of New Zealand's achievements in women's representation "we cannot be complacent".
Trudeau said feminism meant girls "speaking loud and proud but it also means that men have to speak up too".
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Introduced by Khan as "two of the leading feminists in the world", Trudeau and Ardern discussed gender equality issues affecting young people after the students had hands-on workshop ahead of the town hall-style Q+A session.
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The event was part of the Mayor of London's #BehindEveryGreatCity campaign, which celebrated 100 years since women first secured the right to vote in the UK. New Zealand was the first country in the world to give women the right to vote 125 years ago.
The Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern has taken the stage with two progressive leaders Justin Trudeau and Sadiq Khan.
Students were interested to ask the leaders a range of questions, from advice on becoming Prime Minister, how students can be involved in fighting gender equality and what feminism means to Ardern and Trudeau.
Both leaders echoed similar sentiments that feminism was about fairness and equality.
"Feminism for me is about everybody, it's about men, it's about women, it's in the workplace and out, it just means everyone gets a fair go."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has met with Jacinda Ardern a couple of times on her European tour.
Ardern also said it was incumbent upon Governments to ensure they were talking to youth about the issues that mattered to them. Her use of the term "skate park syndrome" drew nods from Trudeau and the crowd. It spoke to the tendency of politicians to just give young people a new skate park and not realise that the issues that mattered to them were often inequality and child poverty, climate change and the gender pay gap.
Students needed to be informed of all of the ways they could participate in politics - not just voting.
Ardern also fielded congratulations from students about being pregnant and taking maternity leave while in office. Ardern is about seven months pregnant and is due to give birth in June.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan hosted the two hall-style event with the two PMs and some of London's youth.
Trudeau told the "old boys club" across every field, had to stop.
Ahead of the meeting, Ardern said the timing of the event "couldn't be better".
"This event will be a great opportunity, alongside Mayor Khan and Prime Minister Trudeau, to hear the thoughts of young people on key social issues such as gender equality."
Trudeau said London's suffragette anniversary was a "major milestone".
"But it also throws into sharp relief the work we still need to do to make gender equality a reality," he said.
"Everyone benefits when women can participate freely, fully and equally in society, and today's youngest leaders are bringing us closer than ever to that goal."
Khan said he was "thrilled" to have the two Prime Minister's join him for the event.
"I look forward to hearing them discuss the huge strides that have been made towards gender equality, as well as what we can all do to remove the barriers to success which many girls and women still face."
Ardern is on the London leg of her European tour, which has already included meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Throughout Wednesday and overnight, she was also set to meet Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall Camilla following the town hall event.
Then later, Ardern would be having a high-level one-on-one with British Prime Minister Theresa May. The two Prime Minister's would then go into meetings with Trudeau and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull - four of the Five Eyes partners, to discuss security issues related to Russia.
All leaders are in London to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, hosted by the Queen. Ardern is also set to meet the Queen in a private audience overnight on Thursday (NZ Time).
- Stuff
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