President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled a bilateral initiative Monday aimed at boosting women entrepreneurs, announcing the new panel at a roundtable on the issue in Washington.
“Both President Trump and Prime Minister Trudeau are committed to removing barriers to women’s economic participation and supporting women as they advance in the business community,” a White House official said Monday ahead of the roundtable event.
Trump and Trudeau’s announcement of the Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders came at an event reportedly arranged by Trump’s daughter, Ivanka.
Ivanka Trump has been outspoken about issues facing women in the workforce, particularly access to child care and maternity leave.
The president spoke about women business leaders’ role in the economy during roundtable meeting with Trudeau.
“I can say that from my past life, I had so many women executives that were phenomenal, phenomenal, and they really helped me a great deal in business. So it was really fantastic,” Trump said. “They play a tremendously important role, women, in our economy.”
Participants in the Canada-United States Council include Carol Stephenson of General Motors Company, Elyse Allan of GE Canada and Julie Sweet of Accenture North America.
Trudeau and Trump were also slated to discuss renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement and immigration during the Canadian leader’s first visit to Washington under the new administration.
