MONTREAL — Fourteen beams of light pierced upward through the foggy night sky on Montreal's Mount Royal Monday as the city ended a day's worth of ceremonies to honour the 14 victims of the École Polytechnique shooting.
The sombre events marking the 32nd anniversary of what's widely believed to be Canada's worst mass shooting specifically targeting women began early in the morning with a flower-laying at the school and culminated in the evening ceremony on Mount Royal.
Dignitaries including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante and Premier François Legault watched silently as names of victims were read aloud as the beams were projected upwards, one by one.
Dec. 6 has become a day not only to mourn the victims, but also to call for more action to fight violence against women.
After laying a white rose before a photo of the victims, Legault said the Polytechnique gunman "attacked the fundamental values of Quebec" on Dec. 6, 1989, when he separated men from women students inside the engineering school before opening fire and killing 14 women and injuring others.
"We’ve made progress, but there’s still work to do, so let’s remember these 14 young women full of hope, full of ambition, full of talent," he said. "For them, let’s keep fighting for equality between men and women."
Plante, for her part, noted that the province has seen a number of domestic violence homicides this year, and called for society to come together to work on solutions. "We don't want any more femicides, we've seen way too much," she said.
Earlier Monday, 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 Gaël 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."
The women killed in 1989 were 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 and Annie Turcotte.
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.
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.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2021.
— With files from Erika Ibrahim and Mia Rabson in Ottawa
Virginie Ann and Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press
