By Canadian Press

Tributes planned for victims of École Polytechnique shooting on 32nd anniversary

Dec 6, 2021 | 2:03 AM

MONTREAL — Today marks the 32nd anniversary of what’s widely believed to be Canada’s largest mass shooting specifically targeting women.

The shooting at Montreal’s École Polytechnique took place on Dec. 6, 1989 when a man opened fire in a classroom, killing 14 women and injuring others.

A recent spate of femicides in Quebec has renewed discussion of the issue, but also has some advocates lamenting a lack of progress in the fight to end violence against women.

École Polytechnique has held a number of tributes over the past week which will culminate today.

Representatives and student associations from the school will lay white roses in front of a commemorative plaque outside the building this morning.

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Fourteen beams of light representing the shooting victims will be projected into the sky from Mount Royal tonight, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers are asking crowds not to gather.

Said Governor General Mary Simon on what is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women:

“From coast to coast to coast, Canadians still bear the scars of the tragic event that unfolded on December 6, 1989, at Polytechnique Montréal. We will never forget that the lives of 14 people, whose future looked promising, were taken solely because they were women.

For them, for all women and girls, for our communities, we must take concrete action to build a future free from violence. We have an individual and collective responsibility to change things, to take a stand and to break the silence in order to be part of the solution.

Although significant awareness, prevention and intervention efforts to counter gender-based violence are underway across the country, the pandemic has unfortunately amplified the number of victims and the degree of their suffering. It is clear that together, we still have so much to do.

On the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, let us come together to ensure that such acts of hatred never happen again. Let us realize our vision of a better world for all where tolerance, justice and equality prevail.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2021.

The Canadian Press