Tributes to victims on 32nd anniversary of Montreal's Polytechnique mass shooting
People gathered silently in front of Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique Monday to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of what's widely believed to be Canada's worst mass shooting specifically targeting women.
The shooting took place on Dec. 6, 1989, when a gunman separated men from women students inside the engineering school before opening fire and killing 14 women and injuring others.
On a wet, gloomy morning, representatives of the school and student associations laid white roses in front of a commemorative plaque honouring the 14 lost lives.
Clementine Lesec and Gael Reynal, representatives from one of Polytechnique's student unions, stood together, reflecting quietly on the tragedy as others placed wreaths.
Lesec, a 22-year-old master's student in biomedical engineering research, said that as a woman walking the school's corridors, her mind often wanders toward the victims.
"I am not afraid of what could happen, but I am always thinking about them," Lesec said. "I am here. I am lucky and I must make the most out of it."
Sarah Dorner, a professor in the department of civil, geological and mining engineering at Polytechnique, said she vividly remembers the massacre.
"I was in high school when it happened, and I remember Nathalie Provost, a survivor who was shot four times, and I remember her words … Don't be afraid," said Dorner, who has taught at Polytechnique since 2007.
"It became an inspiration for a lot of women of my generation."
Quebec Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade was among the small crowd, saying she was there primarily as an alumnus of Polytechnique.
"I don't have my spokesperson with me today, I just came with flowers like I do every year on Dec. 6, because it's very emotional," said Anglade, who graduated in 1996.
"To think about their lives, what they could have been and you tell yourself that you have a duty to continue and to fight against violence toward women."
Later in the day, at 5 p.m., another ceremony was held on the belvedere of Mont-Royal, looking over the 14 beams of vertical light shining from downtown. Mourners read out the 14 victims' names and laid white roses before a memorial photo.
The women killed that day were:
- Anne-Marie Edward, chemical engineering student
- Anne-Marie Lemay, mechanical engineering student
- Annie St-Arneault, mechanical engineering student
- Annie Turcotte, materials engineering student
- Barbara Daigneault, mechanical engineering student
- Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, nursing student
- Geneviève Bergeron, civil engineering student
- Hélène Colgan, mechanical engineering student
- Maud Haviernick, materials engineering student
- Maryse Laganière, budget clerk in the École Polytechnique's finance department
- Maryse Leclair, materials engineering student
- Michèle Richard, materials engineering student
- Nathalie Croteau, mechanical engineering student
- Sonia Pelletier, mechanical engineering student
A recent spate of femicides in Quebec -- with an unofficial count putting the number at 18 since January -- has renewed discussion of the issue, but it also has some advocates lamenting a lack of progress over gun control and in the fight to end violence against women.
MPs held two moments of silence in the House of Commons Monday to mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women that was declared in 1991.
The first was requested by Speaker Anthony Rota, at the end of members' statements, during which MPs from all parties addressed the issue of violence against women.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland later asked all women MPs to stand for a second moment of silence after she answered the day's first query during question period on the subject.
"Violence against women is just unacceptable," she said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement condemning the hatred of women that led to the 1989 killings.
"As we remember the victims of this hateful, cowardly act, we are also reminded that, for countless women, girls, and gender diverse people in Canada and around the world, violence is a daily reality," Trudeau said.
Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole said the tragedy that befell the victims at Polytechnique "must never happen again."
"We must denounce unacceptable behaviour, teach our children and our loved ones to respect one another, and set an example," O'Toole said.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said in a statement that violence against women has to be eliminated in all its forms. "Women and girls deserve to feel safe in their homes and communities," he said.
Fourteen beams of light representing the shooting victims will be projected into the sky Monday evening from Mount Royal, where Trudeau, Quebec Premier Francois Legault and Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante are set to be present. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers are asking crowds not to gather.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2021. With files from Erika Ibrahim and Mia Rabson in Ottawa. With files from CTV News Montreal.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.