The United Nations' HeForShe tour touched down at the University of Waterloo on Monday.
The school pledges to move closer to gender equality, backed by some Hollywood star power.
Edgar Ramirez has been in a number of Hollywood blockbusters and also serves as the UN HeForShe good will ambassador.
"In the journey for equality, women, men and people of all genders are like two strands of DNA wrapped together in an embrace," Ramirez told the crowd on Monday.
"Our burdens are as intertwined as our common destiny."
Ramirez has been supporting the cause for three years. The movement itself is two years older, with the University of Waterloo signing on just after it began.
It aims for equal representation, and at UW, that means moving towards equality in the classroom and on campus.
Since signing on, the school has gradually increased gender equality: the school says women now make up 33 per cent of STEM programs, an increase of 10 per cent.
Meanwhile, 30 per cent of faculty is women, and 32 per cent of senior administration roles are women.
Monday's speaking tour coincides with an event happening at the United Nations general assembly in New York.
