We sit 25 years out from the tragedy at L’Ecole Polytechnique, where 14 women were shot and killed for simply being women striving towards an education in the trades.
We still have a lot of work to do, especially when it comes to recognizing and taking action to combat violence against women.
We must continue to be in making sure that violence against women and girls is recognized and condemned.
For many women and girls—daughters, mothers, and sisters—violence is still a daily occurrence.
Women—our daughters, mothers, and sisters— must daily plan and second-guess the route they will travel and the activities they take part in so they may safely arrive home to their loved ones at the end of their day.
As we pass this quarter-century mark, to not pause and reflect on how such gender-based violence is perpetuated would be an affront to the memory of these 14 women.
The women murdered were:
Anne St-Arneault, 23
Geneviève Bergeron, 21
Hélène Colgan, 23
Nathalie Croteau, 23
Barbara Daigneault, 22
Anne-Marie Edward, 21
Maud Haviernick, 29
Barbara Klueznick, 31
Maryse Laganière, 25
Maryse Leclair, 23
Anne-Marie Lemay, 22
Sonia Pelletier, 23
Michèle Richard, 21
Annie Turcotte, 21