Sunday is National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
The day, first established in 1991, marks the anniversary of the 14 women killed in a mass shooting at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal.
It’s been 26 years since Marc Lepine took a 223-calibre Strum-Ruger rifle, separated the men from the women in an engineering class, ranted about his hatred of feminists, and went on a shooting spree before killing himself.
IN PHOTOS: Remembering École Polytechnique
It’s a massacre that’s remembered all across the country: from candlelight vigils at the University of British Columbia to Cabot Tower in Newfoundland, which was lit up red to remember the victims of gender based violence.
WATCH ABOVE: December 6 marks a sombre anniversary in Canadian history and is a heartbreaking day for all Montrealers. It was 26-years ago, that a lone gunman, professing to hate feminists walked into Montreal’s École Polytechnique and killed 14 women before turning the gun on himself.
READ MORE: Blog: Should we still commemorate December 6? Pas de question
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended a commemorative ceremony at the Mount Royal Belvedere Chalet in Montreal to honour the women who were killed in the rampage.
The ceremony included one minute of silence as 14 spotlights shone through the sky, one for each of the victims.
At noon, a coalition of women’s groups marked the anniversary at Place du 6 décembre in Montreal. Many more ceremonies took place throughout the city and across the country.
READ MORE: ‘Let hate go,’ says the mother of Montreal Massacre shooter Marc Lepine
Canadians have also taken to Twitter to remember the victims of the attack. Both #December6 and its French counterpart #6decembre were trending Sunday afternoon.
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