National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

Pausing to mark a dark day in Canada's recent history.






So many women today, in so many countries, struggle for equality under the most adversarial conditions. We can immediately conjure up images of Afghani women and young girls who do not have the freedom to get an education simply by virtue of their gender; but we need not look so far afield to find examples of oppression.





While Western Nations or NGOs attempt to effect real and positive change around the world to empower women with the most basic rights, it would serve us well to remember that the underlying reasons for the discrimination against women are often learned at home.





Our own backyard still has many problems that need tending if we are to reach a truly equal society.

The Montreal Massacre






For 45 minutes on Dec. 6, 1989 an enraged gunman roamed the corridors of Montreal's École Polytechnique and killed 14 women.





Marc Lepine, 25, separated the men from the women and before opening fire on the classroom of female engineering students he screamed, "I hate feminists."





Almost immediately, the Montreal Massacre became a galvanizing moment in which mourning turned into outrage about all violence against women.