In the post, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau asked women to "celebrate the boys and men in our lives who encourage us to be who we truly are, who treat girls and women with respect".
She called for her followers to post photos with their "male ally", in an effort to inspire men to join the fight for gender equality.
The post included an image of her holding hands with her husband.
The post attracted thousands of comments, with many followers asking why she'd mention men on the day which celebrated women.
One user called the post "sad", while another said "I will be celebrating women on women's day".
Judy Parkin said: "What about the very accomplished women who don't have men in their lives? They did it all on their own. No men involved with their success. I know quite a few, that overcame many obstacles, with no help from men."
Gillian Walker said: "This is terrible, Sophie. If every other day is about male allies, International Women's Day is not. Let's celebrate each other, without the need for men to lift us up."
Krystyn Ann said: "This is utterly ridiculous. Shameful really. I think I'll be taking photos with my daughters, female friends and colleagues instead."
Trudeau later posted again describing the success of the day.
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