December 6 is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women in Canada. In 1991, the Parliament of Canada established this day of mourning and remembrance to mark the anniversary of the murders of 14 female engineering students at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal in 1989 in an act of gender-based violence.
The 14 women who were killed in this brutal act were Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault and Annie Turcotte.
Today is an opportunity to reflect on violence against women in our society and to remember those who have died as a result of gender-based violence. It is a day we can all come together, speak out, and take action to end all forms of violence against women and girls.
