National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
On the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, the Joint Learning Program (JLP) remembers the fourteen young women who were killed at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal on December 6, 1989 in an act of violent misogyny.
On this day, we remember:
- Geneviève Bergeron
- Hélène Colgan
- Nathalie Croteau
- Barbara Daigneault
- Anne-Marie Edward
- Maud Haviernick
- Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz
- Maryse Laganière
- Maryse Leclair
- Anne-Marie Lemay
- Sonia Pelletier
- Michèle Richard
- Annie St-Arneault
- Annie Turcotte
As we mourn their loss, let us also take a pause to recognize that gender-based violence remains a serious problem in Canada. During the past five years (2016-2020), the Canadian Feminicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability (CFOJA) has documented the deaths of over 761 women and girls in our country, killed primarily by men who were close to them. This means that on average, one woman or girl is killed in Canada every 2.5 days. COVID-19 restrictions have increased the risk factors for gender-based violence given social isolation, economic insecurity and stress. One positive development, is that the pandemic has brought increased attention from government and members of the public, leading to emergency funding to address the rising levels of violence against women and girls.
In January 2021, the Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations came into effect. These strengthen the prevention framework and procedures for harassment and violence in the workplace.
