For the first time, Canada's cabinet has an equal number of men and women

When asked why he appointed women to half of his cabinet positions, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had a quick response: "Because it's 2015."

Before the election, Trudeau said men and women would be represented equally in his cabinet, and he kept his promise Wednesday, when his government was sworn in. Some of the positions held by women include the roles of justice minister and attorney general, health minister, and environment and climate change minister. The cabinet also includes two aboriginal members of parliament and three Sikh politicians, The Guardian reports. "It's important to be here before you today to present to Canada a cabinet that looks like Canada," Trudeau told reporters after the swearing-in ceremony.

"Canada has never really had a gender-parity moment before so it's a big leap for us," Jonathan Malloy, an associate professor at Ottawa's Carleton University, told NBC News. "Canadian politicians often talk about parity while running campaigns but it's a big deal to actually do it." Malloy added that with this cabinet, Canada "has jumped from about 20th to 3rd" in the world rankings of governmental gender equality. The Inter-Parliamentary Union says that in Finland, 10 of its 16 ministers are women, and both Sweden and Cape Verde have 52.9 percent female representation. In the United States, women make up 25 percent of the cabinet of 16.

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