Du 4 au 6 décembre 2009
à l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)

further info (pdf)

Geneviève Bergeron
Hélène Colgan
Nathalie Croteau
Barbara Daigneault
Anne-Marie Edward
Maud Haviernick
Barbara Maria Klucznik
Maryse Leclair
Annie St.-Arneault
Michèle Richard
Maryse Laganière
Anne-Marie Lemay
Sonia Pelletier
Annie Turcotte

On December 6th, 1989 Marc Lépine entered École Polytechnique in Montreal shot 28 people killing 14. He even separated the men and the women and before firing the first shots proclaimed his hatred for feminists.
Nineteen years later the mention of his name still sends chills down my spine. At only 10 (going on 11) years old at the time I still remember trying to understand why someone could hate women so much. I believed I was growing up at a time and in a country where this was not an issue. Not just because our Charter of Rights and Freedoms dictates it, but because we all as Canadians felt it.
Today is a painful reminder of the all too real threat of violence many women still face in this country and around the world.

submitted anonymously

Submitted by Jody

CFUW is organizing this event to benefit our CFUW 1989 École Polytechnique
Commemmorative Award. The scholarship is awarded yearly to a woman studying
at the graduate level, whose work is relevant to women. Our event is in
memory of the 14 female engineering students murdered in 1989 at the École
Polytechnique in Montreal.

We are delighted that Leighann Burns, Director of Harmony House women’s
shelter will be speaking about how far we have come, and where we have yet
to go in the feminist anti-violence movement. CFUW’s own Executive Director
Susan Russell will also be speaking about violence against women. In
addition, we will have musical performances by the Minwaashin Lodge women’s
drumming circle, and the Ottawa Police Chorus. Appetizers, coffee (donated
by Bridgehead), and desserts will be served as well. Tickets are only $15,
$5 for students and low income, and tax receipts will be issued for the
ticket and donations over $10. Tickets are available in advance or at the
door.

Please contact me if you can attend. We would be honoured if you can join
us for the event.

cfuwcomm@rogers.com

The “Not so Silent” December 6th Vigil, a community-wide memorial, will be
held at Parade Square, City Hall, Halifax to remember all women affected by
violence. December 6th is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on
Violence Against Women. It is the anniversary of the Montréal Massacre,
where fourteen women were murdered execution-style at l’École Polytechnique
in Montreal in 1989. These women were murdered because they were assumed to
be taking jobs originally considered to be ‘for men’. This year marks the
nineteenth anniversary of this tragic event. The day is observed across the
country with vigils, memorials, and other ceremonies.

The massacre was and continues to be a wake-up call for each of us: violence
against women is a tragic reality. While we hold the memory of the massacre
in silent reflection at vigils we also need to speak out and end the silence
that obscures this global issue. The voices of women will no longer be
silent.
We will be raising our voices ~ in a loud and strong call to end violence
against women ~ in song, spoken word, and a moment of screaming. Join emcee
Candy Palmater and presenters Megan Leslie, Taryn Della, and Women Next
Door!

*We will gather at 4:30pm in Parade Square on Saturday, December 6th.*
Those who would also like to attend the annual memorial at Dalhousie’s
Sexton campus are invited to join a vigil walk to the campus following the
event.

All are welcome ~ This is a gender inclusive event ~
Organized by the Halifax Women’s Community

G&M : “YWCA Canada has launched a national “Rose Button” campaign calling for a federal strategy to stop violence against women.
Paulette Senior, the group’s CEO, said a “major societal shift” is needed to end the problem.
Ms. Senior is calling on Canadians to e-mail their members of Parliament a virtual rose on Dec. 6 – the ninth anniversary of the Montreal massacre, in which gunman Marc Lépine shot 14 women dead.”

The G&M article, which incorrectly moves the date of the Montreal massacre up ten years, goes on to provide some statistics :
“the medical costs of violence against women at $1.1-billion a year, plus $4-billion annually for criminal justice, social services, and lost productivity.
• More than 31,000 incidents of spousal violence against women were reported to police in 2006. It’s estimated that over 70 per cent of incidents go unreported.
• Women are more likely than men to be the victims of the most severe forms of partner abuse, such as homicide, sexual assault and stalking.
• Almost 40 per cent of women in Canada who reported assault by a partner said their children witnessed the violence and the woman feared for their lives in half those cases.
“To prevent violence before it starts, it must be treated as unacceptable behaviour whenever and wherever it occurs,” says a YWCA statement.”
Whenever and wherever it occurs…

The G&M article, as of this writing, is followed by 75 reader’s comments of which the overwhelming majority complain of a “Canadian neo-Matriarchy” and “RadFem LGBT FASCISTS”. Women start the fights and assault men just as often, they say. A comment that all violence regardless of gender is bad is met with the response “Man hater!” There are calls for a reduction in funding to both the YWCA and womens’ shelters on the grounds they are unfair to men.

Dear G&M commenters : In the 19 years since the Montreal massacre, many of you do not appear to have come a long way, baby. And so we continue to mark this day and will continue to do so every year until you catch up.

Written by;
Alison@Creekside

submitted by
Gerri