December 6 marks the 27th anniversary of one of the most extreme acts of violence towards women in Canadian History: the Polytechnique tragedy.
On December 6, 1989, 14 women at 脡cole Polytechnique in Montreal were killed in a hate crime against women. The shooter claimed to be 鈥渇ighting feminism鈥� by targeting females studying to be engineers.
In commemoration of the women who were murdered, the anniversary has been named the . The day acknowledges what happened 27 years ago and recognizes that although nearly three decades have passed, the discrimination behind it still plagues society today.
Reflecting on gender-based violence
The Dalhousie Women in Engineering Society (WiE) will be hosting a memorial to commemorate the victims of the massacre and encourage discussion on current-day incidents of gender-based violence.
Tuesday鈥檚 event kicks off at 7 p.m. in Building B310 on Dal鈥檚 Sexton Campus with a candle-lighting ceremony for the victims. Speakers will include Verona Singer from Halifax Regional Police (supervisor of the Victim Service Unit) and Kristina Fifield from Bryony House (a shelter in support of women who have suffered partner violence and abuse). To end, participants will lay roses beneath the Montreal memorial tree located nearby on campus.
WiE president Peggy Boyd urges students and community members alike to come out to acknowledge the gender-based violence still happening today.
鈥淲hen this event occurred, it was seen as an extreme representation of the violence that many women faced on a daily basis鈥� says Boyd. 鈥淪ince the event was so extreme, much of the public was not able to draw a connection between the event and the day-to-day violence that many women face due to their gender. Students should recognize that the events from 27 years ago are still represented in the actions and mindsets present in society today.鈥�
Shining a light
Extreme events like the 脡cole Polytechnique tragedy garner significant media attention, but the majority of the violence women experience is not public.
鈥淯ntil one comes face-to-face with proof that violence against women exists, it is far too easy to ignore it and to believe that you have nothing to do with it,鈥� says Boyd.
鈥淚n order to help change society鈥檚 outlook on these issues, both those who are not currently aware of the violence that women face and those who face gender-based violence need to be provided with the knowledge and resources to combat the issue.鈥�
The anniversary of the tragedy falls within Dal鈥檚 campaign for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, which began on November 25 and runs until International Human Rights Day on December 10. With nearly 20 events organized across campus, the campaign aims to increase conversation surrounding gender-based violence, and give students the resources needed to combat it.
More info: 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence
脡cole Polytechnique victims
The following are the 14 women who were murdered at 脡cole Polytechnique on December 6, 1989:
- Genevi猫ve Bergeron, civil engineering student
- H茅l猫ne Colgan, mechanical engineering student
- Nathalie Croteau, mechanical engineering student
- Barbara Daigneault, mechanical engineering student
- Anne-Marie Edward, chemical engineering student
- Maud Haviernick, materials engineering student
- Maryse Lagani猫re, budget clerk in the 脡cole Polytechnique's finance department
- Maryse Leclair, materials engineering student
- Anne-Marie Lemay, mechanical engineering student
- Sonia Pelletier, mechanical engineering student
- Mich猫le Richard, materials engineering student
- Annie St-Arneault, mechanical engineering student
- Annie Turcotte, materials engineering student
- Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, nursing student