Ryan Remiorz/CP Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland speaks to the media on March 5, 2019 in Longueuil, Que.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland is shooting down suggestions that the resignations of two high-profile women from Justin Trudeau's cabinet undermine his claim to be a feminist leader. "When it comes to working with the prime minister as a woman, I have found him to be absolutely supportive. He is a feminist as a prime minister and he's a feminist as a boss," Freeland told reporters in Longueuil, Que. Tuesday. "Something that I have personally appreciated, which I think not all working mothers can say, is how unequivocally the prime minister has been supportive for me personally about the fact that I'm a mother. I really appreciate that. My kids really appreciate it." Watch: Justin Trudeau addresses Jane Philpott's exit from his cabinet

Freeland also touted the Trudeau government's feminist approach to foreign policy, including efforts to ensure reproductive rights in developing countries. Freeland was asked to address the fallout from Jane Philpott's decision to resign as Treasury Board president Monday. Her departure came days after former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould testified at a House of Commons justice committee. Wilson-Raybould said she faced months of sustained pressure from Trudeau, his top aides, and senior government officials to help Quebec engineering giant SNC-Lavalin avoid a criminal trial. She quit as veterans affairs minister in January. Philpott said in her resignation letter to the prime minister that she had "lost confidence" in how his government has responded to the SNC-Lavalin affair, and that she could not defend him publicly over the matter, as demanded by the principle of cabinet solidarity.

The Canadian Press Liberal MPs Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott take part in a cabinet shuffle at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Jan. 14, 2019.

❤️ When you add women, please do not expect the status quo. Expect us to make correct decisions, stand for what is right and exit when values are compromised. Thank you @janephilpott for articulating this beautifully. +1 https://t.co/hyVSB4MREk — MP Celina 🇨🇦 (@MPCelina) March 4, 2019

Finance Minister Bill Morneau also received some blowback online Monday for pointing out to a reporter that Philpott is a "close personal friend" of Wilson-Raybould's, remarks interpreted by some as a suggestion that her decision was driven by considerations other than her principles. Liberal MPs have also pointed to the friendship between Philpott and Wilson-Raybould when asked about the matter. Still, deputy Tory Leader Lisa Raitt — who has had headline-grabbing run-ins with Morneau in the past — tweeted that the finance minister was a "pompous mansplainer" and an "ass."

Are you kidding me? You pompous mansplainer. The MINISTER said her problem was that she couldn't tow the cabinet line and did the right thing to resign. But - you know how women are...... we are just so *emotional*. What an ass. https://t.co/FFNwyqgW1U — Lisa Raitt (@lraitt) March 5, 2019

Jennifer O'Connell, the parliamentary secretary to the finance minister, fired back by accusing Raitt of twisting Morneau's words. "Let's fight for real equality and not partisan points," she wrote.

Hey Lisa, I hate mansplaining as much as the next person, but twisting @Bill_Morneau 's words to portray something he clearly did not say isn't helpful. Let's fight for real equality and not partisan points. https://t.co/SzrvSFmSjo — Jennifer O'Connell (@MPJenOConnell) March 5, 2019

In the face of Liberal discord, Freeland pointed to lessons learned from months of tough negotiations with the United States and Mexico that culminated in the United States-Mexico-Canada free trade deal or, as she calls it, the "new NAFTA." "I really think the key to Canada's success in the NAFTA negotiations was that we played as a team, we played as Team Canada," she said. "And I think we succeed as a government and frankly we succeed as Canadians when we're able to play as a team."

Sean Kilpatrick/CP Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland hold a press conference regarding the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) at the National Press Theatre, in Ottawa on Oct. 1, 2018.