It’s hard to believe, but 27 years have passed since 14 young women were slain at the École Polytechnique, an event also known as the Montreal Massacre. It remains one of the darkest days in our nation’s history.

In 1991, the Parliament of Canada established December 6, the anniversary of the devastating event, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women in Canada. Each year on this day we honour the 14 young women whose lives were tragically cut short in an act of gender-based violence.

Take a moment to remember the victims of the École Polytechnique, each of whom were singled out and murdered just because they were women.

It is not only a day to remember and mourn the victims of École Polytechnique, but it is also a day to reflect that gender-based violence and oppression is a daily reality for many women and girls. The brutal truth is that violence against women and girls is still pervasive throughout Canada, disproportionally impacting Aboriginal women, trans women, and women of colour. According to Statistics Canada, approximately every six days, a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner. The statistics are even more grim for Canada’s Aboriginal women: they are killed at six times the rate of non-Aboriginal women.

Violence against women has a devastating impact on women’s lives and on our society. We, as individuals and within our communities, must continue to work towards eliminating all forms of violence against women.

See below for a list of useful online resources and for events across the province.

In solidarity,

Stephanie Smith
Chair, BCGEU Women’s Committee
President, BCGEU

Resources:

• PovNet has a listing of resources for women throughout BC: http://www.povnet.org/find-an-advocate/bc/women 
• The Ending Violence Association of BC has programs targeting different areas http://endingviolence.org/prevention-programs/
• Women Against Violence Against Women offers many ways to volunteer http://www.wavaw.ca/volunteer/
• Native Women's Association of Canada for links to aboriginal resources: http://www.nwac.ca/
• Battered Women's Support Services has an extensive listing of services and volunteer opportunities: http://www.bwss.org/ 

Events

Click here for a comprehensive list of events in communities across BC.