The Saskatchewan government said it is everyone’s responsibility to fight violence against women on the 30th anniversary of the shooting at Montreal’s Ecolé Polytechnique.
Fourteen female engineering students were murdered on Dec. 6, 1989, when a gunman opened fire on the Montreal campus. Thirteen other people were injured.
“Combatting violence against women and girls is everyone’s responsibility,” Tina Beaudry-Mellor, Saskatchewan’s minister responsible for the status of women, said Friday in a statement.
“The National Day of Remembrance on December 6 provides us with a day to remember and honour those who have lost their lives through violence and to think of ways we can each help.”
Numerous displays and vigils in Saskatchewan reflected on the impact of the shooting.
Photos of the victims were displayed at Saskatchewan Polytechnic to remember who they were and the potential they had. Some students were learning about the massacre for the first time.
“They’re all horrified. You can tell that they can’t believe something like that happened and that it was in our country,” said Brittany Grimsdale, Saskatchewan Polytechnic program head for the women in trades and technology department.
The anniversary of the shooting especially hits home for female engineering students. Thirty years after the attack, scholarships and support systems are now offered to female students, but oppression still exists.
“It’s just a matter of accepting one another,” said Hibba Syeda, vice-president (VP) academic of Regina’s engineering student society.
“Society has definitely changed and will continue to change because we do have events like these where we are raising awareness.”
Jill Arnott, the executive director of the University of Regina’s (U of R) women’s centre, said the date is a chance for people to renew their commitment to ending gender violence.
“The only path forward requires all of us to acknowledge the attitudes and biases that normalize violence,” Arnott said.
“We all need to tell the truth about, confront, and call out sexual and interpersonal violence when we see it, even when it is uncomfortable to do so.”
Justice Minister Don Morgan said the government has taken steps to end violence against women and girls.
“We’re taking action to ensure Saskatchewan is a place where women can live, work and go to school without needing to worry about the threat of violence,” Morgan said.
One step the government pointed too was the passing of Clare’s Law this year.
Saskatchewan was the first province to adopt the law, which started in the United Kingdom in 2014 after a woman named Clare Wood was murdered by a partner who police knew had a violent record, but the information was not disclosed to her.
The Saskatchewan act allows police to release information about someone’s violent or abusive past to intimate partners.
Nilgun Onder, the U of R’s associate vice-president (academic), said more needs to be done.
“While progress has been made towards gender equity in post-secondary education in the 30 years since this tragedy took place, there is still work to do in making Canadian university campuses safe and welcoming places for women in all fields of study, Onder said.
“That’s why it’s critical we continue to honour the victims and never let the memory of this terrible event fade.”
The government said it has taken other steps to help those dealing with gender-based violence, including offering paid leave to victims of domestic violence and changing the way sexual violence cases are reviewed by police.
“Our government is committed to making our communities safer and reducing crime, specifically for those at risk of gender-based violence,” Morgan said.
Ministries within the Saskatchewan government also take part in the White Ribbon Campaign, which launched in 1991 to raise awareness, promote gender equality and condemn gender-based violence.
Comments