Maritime provinces mark 35th anniversary of anti-feminist mass killing in Montreal

Friday marks an important day to commemorate and honour those who have experienced gender-based violence, as well as the 14 women who list their lives 35 years ago at a Montreal engineering school.

On Dec. 6, 1989, 14 young women at L’Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal were murdered in a violent act of misogyny.

Those killed were:

• Geneviève Bergeron
• Hélène Colgan
• Nathalie Croteau
• Barbara Daigneault
• Anne-Marie Edward
• Maud Haviernick
• Maryse Laganière
• Maryse Leclair
• Anne-Marie Lemay
• Sonia Pelletier
• Michèle Richard
• Annie St-Arneault
• Annie Turcotte
• Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz

The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women is now marked each year on Dec. 6 to remember those women, and all women affected by what some provinces have declared an epidemic.

Canadians across the country are honouring the lives lost on this tragic anniversary.

Nova Scotia

In September, the Nova Scotia legislature adopted a bill declaring domestic violence an epidemic in the province.

In introducing the bill, Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender said the idea was to legislate a recommendation to all levels of government from the commission of inquiry that investigated the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting. The commission heard the gunman behind Canada's worst mass shooting had a history of domestic violence and had seriously assaulted his spouse moments before he began a 13-hour rampage that left 22 people dead.

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

In a statement on Friday, Chender said even with the legislation in place, there is still much more work to be done.

“We need to take bold, sustained action to address all forms of gender-based violence in our communities,” she said.

“On the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, we remember all those who have lost their lives to gender-based, intimate partner and domestic violence, and we reaffirm our commitment to action.”

Chender adds the Nova Scotia mass shooting is a sad reminder of the urgency needed to end gender-based violence.

“We must act decisively to implement the systemic changes the Mass Casualty Commission has presented in the Turning the Tide Report. Federal and provincial governments must prioritize stable, adequate funding for the organizations that provide critical support to survivors and work tirelessly to prevent future violence,” said Chender.

“Ending this epidemic requires more than words. It demands a commitment and action to create a safer, more equitable society.”

A statement from the NDP in September also said Nova Scotia has the highest rates of intimate partner violence of any province in Canada, with over 30 per cent of women and 22.5 per cent of men who have been in a relationship reporting being physically or sexually assaulted by their partner.

Since Oct. 18, three murder-suicides involving couples have been reported by police in Nova Scotia. In each case, a man killed his female partner before taking his own life. One was in Yarmouth and the other two occurred in suburban Halifax.

New Brunswick

In New Brunswick, a vigil was held at Government House where candles were lit in memory of the 14 women killed in Montreal more than three decades ago. A fifteenth candle was also lit in commemoration of all women who have died because of gender-based violence, as well as those who are subjected to it every day.

“The heartbreaking loss of the 14 women at École Polytechnique 35 years ago remains a constant reminder of the pressing need to end gender-based violence,” said Premier Susan Holt in a news release.

“New Brunswick is grateful for the collaboration with amazing community partners, including transition houses, second-stage facilities, outreach interveners and community-based sexual violence services, in this work.”

Lyne Chantal Boudreau, minister responsible for women’s equality, says in order to reduce gender-based violence and create safer communities for all, everyone must prioritize prevention, education and sufficient resources.

“I want to express my gratitude to everyone who is putting in so much effort to eradicate violence against women, girls and gender-diverse people in our province. This day in our history will never be forgotten.”

Renee Charron is the executive director of Crossroads for Women in Moncton, a non-profit organization that assists survivors of violence.

She says a woman or girl is killed every two days in Canada, adding two-thirds of those women and girls in New Brunswick were still living with the accused at the time of their murders.

“At Crossroads we’ve definitely seen an increase in clients. That comes very naturally with an increase in population, but also recessions, times of panic like COVID-19 and unfortunately lack of affordable housing as well. In New Brunswick, it has the highest rate of police reported criminal harassment amongst all the provinces,” said Charron.

Charron says lots can be done by individuals, governments and companies to support individuals before a violent act – starting with believing survivors when they say something is wrong.

“We need to educate the general public more on the signs of domestic violence so that we can recognize it and be able to provide those supports in a timely manner,” she said.

Crossroads for Women serves all southeast New Brunswick, and takes clients from outside the area, as well as other provinces, who are fleeing their abuser.

“We do work with other shelters as well. If we are at max capacity we refer clients to each other, whatever ensures that the client is most safe at that time,” Charron said.

“It’s difficult to address something when it doesn’t have a name, so giving it a name, like femicide shows us that there is that prevalent problem in society and that we need to address it. That its root cause comes from somewhere specific, and it has a specific solution as well. It’s not general murder, it is femicide. It is a hate crime against women."

Prince Edward Island

In Prince Edward Island, flags will be flown at half-mast and purple lights will illuminate the Shaw Building in Charlottetown Friday evening.

“As we remember these women’s lives, we reaffirm our dedication to combating gender-based violence and misogyny. We must work together to act and advocate for a better future for women in P.E.I.,” said Minister responsible for the Status of Women Jenn Redmond.

Rose Campaign

To mark the 35th anniversary of the massacre, YWCA Canada launched its national Rose Campaign to end violence against women, girls and gender diverse people.

The campaign, named after the original rose button that commemorated the 14 women killed, calls on Canadians to mourn and use the symbol of the rose to act, educate and work towards creating change.

Amanda Arella, director of public policy and advocacy with YWCA Canada, says there hasn’t been much progress in preventing gender-based violence over the last three decades.

“So, what we’re seeing is actually gender-based violence is one of the only violent crimes in Canada that is on the rise. Data comparing 2014 and 2022 shows that there’s a 17 per cent increase in family violence, and a 19 per cent increase in intimate partner violence,” said Arella during an interview on CTV Morning Live Atlantic on Friday.

YWCA Canada says they remain on the ground across Canada supporting survivors and working to prevent violence through education and support programs.

“We’re also working to raise awareness about these startling numbers in engagements just like these and working to develop strong policy recommendations so that governments can take action, like the Government of Nova Scotia who declared intimate partner violence and epidemic,” said Arella.

According to Femicide in Canada's website, a total of 169 women and girls have been killed by violence so far this year. Of those, 11 of them were in Atlantic Canada.

With files from The Canadian Press.