Thirty years ago, 14 women were killed because they were women.
Read that again, in case you didn’t feel the impact:
35 years ago, 14 women were killed because they were women.
In Canada: in Montreal: thirty years ago, on this day.
December 6, 1989.
École Polytechnique. The Montreal Massacre.
It was more than a mass shooting.
I remember.
The world changed that day.
It has not changed enough.
I will not take up space today to spit out my thoughts on gun control or public safety.
I will not criticize today, here, those who continue to exhibit such blatant disregard for my fellow human beings, or the hypocrisy and/or misogyny of those people, or politicians, or corporations who try to hide behind flimsy excuses and transparent policies of diversity and inclusion. Or those who do not do enough to enforce, enhance, and encourage respect in the workplace, our communities, or countries.
Today is not my day for that.
In Canada, today is National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
It is a day for remembering the event, yes, but more so remembering the vital lives of the women who were hunted down and killed by a single man.
Today — as I do each year on the anniversary of this senseless tragedy — I will repeat the names of the 14 women whose lives were snuffed out by hatred, gender discrimination and attitudes which have prevailed in the years since.
Our daughters, sisters, mothers and lovers face these injustices each day, in a country that prides itself on a satisfying and sufficient way of life.
Violence against women is still here, it is systematic, and it is wrong. We all know it.
The lives of the women killed, not their deaths, must remain an example. I dislike the popular term ‘Legacy of pain’, but I still feel it.
These names must never be forgotten:
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
My heart goes out to the families, friends, partners, and loved ones who grieve for these significant women.
I grieve with you.
12/06/2024 j.g.l.
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