When asked if he identifies as a feminist, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau doesn't hesitate.

"Yes, absolutely, I'm a feminist," he told CNN's Poppy Harlow on the latest episode of Boss Files . "Because a feminist is someone who believes men and women should be equal, and who believes that there's a lot more work to do to get there."

It's a belief Trudeau says has informed much of his work as prime minister. He made that abundantly clear after taking office in 2015, when he mandated his cabinet be 50% men and 50% women — a first in the history of the office.

Trudeau says his father, former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, taught him the importance of defending the rights of others. But he credits his mother and his wife with shaping him into the feminist he is today.

"I, at one point, said to Sophie, my wife, that it was really important to me that we raise our daughter Ella-Grace, to be a feminist," he says. "And she said, 'Yes. And your sons?' Because I have two sons as well. And I I said, 'Oh, oh, yeah. I guess I need to raise them to be feminists, as well.'"