It was 27 years ago this week that 14 women were massacred in Montreal at the École Polytechnique university – killed for no other reason than that they were women.
Almost three decades has done nothing to diminish the shock and horror that the crime still provokes. It remains Canada’s worst modern mass shooting.
Our country still grieves for these victims, their families, and their friends.
They were:
• Geneviève Bergeron, civil engineering student
• Hélène Colgan, mechanical engineering student
• Nathalie Croteau), mechanical engineering student
• Barbara Daigneault, mechanical engineering student
• Anne-Marie Edward, chemical engineering student
• Maud Haviernick, materials engineering student
• Maryse Laganière, a budget clerk for École Polytechnique
• Maryse Leclair, materials engineering student
• Anne-Marie Lemay, mechanical engineering student
• Sonia Pelletier, mechanical engineering student
• Michèle Richard, materials engineering student
• Annie St-Arneault, mechanical engineering student
• Annie Turcotte, materials engineering student
• Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, nursing student
They have been remembered with moments of silence.
But we must not be silent as we continue to do our part to end such senseless violence against women.
We each have the power to help halt such actions.
It starts with saying no to misogyny, rejecting sexist language, calling out even casual sexism, and being respectful in our interactions with others.
We all have the power to create a more inclusive and tolerant society for all.
Let’s each do our part.
