N.B. engineers, students gather to honour victims of Polytechnique shooting
It’s been 33 years since a tragic shooting at a Montreal engineering school left 14 students dead. Tuesday, thousands of Canadians are coming together to observe one of the darkest days in the country’s history.
On Dec. 6, 1989, a 25-year-old man launched a targeted attack against women on the Ecole Polytechnique campus, killing 14 female students and injuring 13 others. It was later learned the killer had a hatred of feminists --- advocates who fight for the equal rights of women.
The mass shooting made international headlines and prompted a wave of activism fighting to end violence against women.
In 1991, the anniversary was proclaimed a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
Students and staff of the engineering school marked the anniversary by holding a ceremony and placing rose wreaths on the commemorative plaque near the student entrance.
And in New Brunswick, a vigil took place at Government House in Fredericton.
Dozens of engineers, students, community members, and political leaders gathered to light candles in memory of the 14 young women who lost their lives while studying at the post-secondary institution.
Tammy Scott-Wallace, the New Brunswick minister responsible for women’s equality, emceed the event.
“We know that in our communities throughout New Brunswick, we’re seeing all-time highs of violence against women,” said Scott-Wallace. “They’re staggering numbers, really. We know that we have some of the highest numbers in the country in terms of gender-based violence and deaths.”
According to Scott-Wallace, New Brunswick has had the third-highest rate of intimate-partner violence reported to police in Canada for three years in a row.
“Honouring the lives of these 14 women can serve as an important reminder of the consequences of violence against women,” she said.
A 15th candle was also lit in memory of all women who have died due to domestic and intimate-partner violence.
Scott-Wallace said, even with all the work done in the last 30 years, there’s still a long way to go before gender equality is achieved.
In a statement, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs encouraged the public to remember the women who lost their lives in the mass shooting.
“Every woman in New Brunswick deserves to live a life free of violence,” said Higgs. “We must continue to work hard to eliminate violence in our communities.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.