Statement by the Hon. Jack Layton on the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women

Today is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. In deep sadness, we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Massacre at the École polytechnique on December 6, 1989, where 14 women were shot and killed because they were women.

Twenty years ago, Marc Lépine entered the École polytechnique and shot 28 people, killing 14 women: Annie St-Arneault, Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie Turcotte and Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz. He finished by shooting himself.

Violence against women remains a serious issue in Canada – one that all Canadians have a responsibility to prevent. It is a national disgrace that half of all Canadian women continue to be victims of physical and sexual violence.

Thousands of women in Canada and around the world experience violence daily, many at the hands of partners and relatives. Women already marginalized by society to begin with, such as Aboriginal women, women in the LGBTTQQ community, immigrant, refugee and disabled women, are further marginalized by the violence and abuse they experience. Young women and girls are most at risk of physical and sexual violence. A coordinated national effort is needed to end this terrible injustice.

Violence against women is one of the greatest violations of human rights in the world, but one that is rarely recognized. Helping create the White Ribbon campaign to stop violence against women brought me face-to-face with the fear and abuse so many women experience. As a father, a grandfather and a husband, and on behalf of all New Democrats, I urge every Canadian to open their hearts on this 20th anniversary of the violence at the École polytechnique and do their part to stop further violence against women.