Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave his fellow countrymen a lesson on gender inclusivity in language at a public town hall Friday.
Trudeau took a question about religious nonprofits from a woman affiliated with the World Mission Society Church of God. Canadian regulations place restrictions on volunteering with religious organizations, and the woman asked whether the government could loosen those regulations, as she discussed her church’s theology of God’s maternal love.
"So, that’s why we came here today to ask you, to also look into the policies that religious charitable organizations have in our legislation so that it can also be changed because maternal love is the love that’s going to change the future of mankind—"
"We like to say 'peoplekind,' not necessarily 'mankind,' because it’s more inclusive," Trudeau interjected.
The crowd applauded Trudeau's correction, and the questioner expressed appreciation for Trudeau’s commitment to inclusivity.
"We can all learn from each other," Trudeau added.
The Canadian government has been hard at work undoing gendered language in many aspects of its society. Just last week the parliament passed an amendment to the national anthem giving it gender-neutral lyrics, and the government has also issued some gender-neutral identification documents.