44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 6, 2023 02:00PM
- Dec/6/23 2:09:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have a duty to remember the Polytechnique tragedy out of respect for the victims and their loved ones and to make sure that it never happens again. Since 14 women were slaughtered in 1989 by a fanatical misogynist, every year we say, “never again”.
Nevertheless, we are seeing an ever-increasing number of femicides every year. We have an obligation to find a solution to put an end to this downward spiral.
We owe it to 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.
Thirty-four years later, now more than ever, we say, “never again”.
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- Dec/6/23 2:15:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on December 6, 1989, we lost 14 women in the Polytechnique massacre. These women lost their lives to violence, simply because they were women. This cowardly act violated our core values as Canadians and robbed these women of their freedom and lives.
It is our duty to remember their memory, their loved ones and all victims of gender-based violence. This tragedy reminds us that, 34 years later, women continue to be the main victims of violence. We must continue to fight hatred and violence against women in all its forms, including harassment, sexual assault and intimate partner violence.
I stand up to declare loudly and clearly that we will never forget their names: 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.
In their memory, we will continue to fight to end violence against women.
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- Dec/6/23 2:59:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today, we remember the victims of the massacre at École Polytechnique. The brazen disregard of the safety of women and the clear intent to harm them cast a shadow on our hearts to this day.
Even now, gender-based violence remains a real threat to women. Because of this, our commitment to end it has not changed. That is why we have signed 10 agreements, alongside provinces and territories, through the national action plan to end gender-based violence. This work will not stop until it ends.
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- Dec/6/23 4:51:26 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for her inspiring speech.
On December 6, 1989, 14 female students were killed at Montreal's École Polytechnique. As they were excitedly preparing for their final exams and the holiday celebrations that were fast approaching, the unthinkable happened.
These women, 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, were murdered because they were women. How unspeakably cruel and horrible it is to think that a woman could suffer this fate just for being a woman.
The murders shocked the nation and led Parliament to designate December 6, which we are marking today, as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. I was especially shaken by this tragedy. Those women were the same age as me. They were at school. They had dreams. They had ambitions. All of that was destroyed forever. Their journey ended, and mine goes on. They are always in my thoughts.
Today, we pay tribute to these women. We also pay tribute to the women in Canada and around the world who have been, and continue to be, victims of hate and violence in all its forms. Thirty-four years later, this day is still necessary. Unfortunately, intimate partner violence, sexual assault and misogynistic rhetoric remain a fact of life.
All of us have a role to play in eliminating these horrors. Everyone must work together, including the various police forces, municipalities, social services and, of course, all parliamentarians.
I would like to acknowledge my colleagues on the Standing Committee on the Status of Women. These members, several women and one man, are accomplishing amazing work. We are fortunate to have an outstanding chair in the member for Elgin—Middlesex—London. Together, we are pulling in the same direction, as we work for women.
In committee, we have conducted difficult studies on violence against indigenous girls and women. Some courageous survivors came to share their painful experiences with us. Our various recommendations to the government reflect their moving pleas. We owe it to them to continue our work.
It is also important for people to be aware of the resources available to help victims escape violence. Help is out there. In Quebec, the toll-free hotline SOS Violence Conjugale receives more than 25,000 calls a year. Its staff are there to provide information, guidance and support to women who are victims of violence and, of course, to their loved ones. Hundreds of centres and shelters are ready to take in women. I would like to acknowledge two organizations in my community, the Centre-Femmes de Bellechasse and Jonction pour Elle. I want them to know that their work is very valuable.
As the minister pointed out, education is a key part of the solution. Respect must be integrated and learned from a very young age. Everyone must understand that violence is never the answer. In an ideal world, women would be completely free, free from all fear and free from all violence. Women should not have to walk the streets in a state of hyper-vigilance, as we all too often do. They should be able to trust people and develop healthy, respectful relationships.
Today we remember the victims of École Polytechnique, but women are making progress. Montreal's École Polytechnique got its very first female president in 2022, and two women have been appointed to lead two of McGill University's most prestigious faculties, specifically medicine and engineering.
In their minds, they hold the memory of the victims, of course, but they also have hope. We have come a long way since that fateful day in 1989, but let us be clear: We still have a long way to go. Let us keep on working for these 14 brilliant young women.
We remember them.
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Madam Speaker, I too would like to rise today and honour the memory of the 14 women who were murdered 34 years ago at École polytechnique de Montréal. These women, studying to become engineers, were trailblazers in a male-dominated field. They were going to change the world. They were going to build, create and inspire other women to follow in their footsteps, but they did not have the chance. Their lives were cut short by an act of unspeakable misogynistic violence. I too want to say their names as my colleagues have here today, because this provides that memory with power in this place.
Today we remember 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 St‑Arneault, Annie Turcotte and Barbara Klucznik‑Widajewicz. We will remember them.
These women were killed because they were women. They were killed by a man who was consumed by hate. He shouted, “You're all a bunch of feminists, and I hate feminists”. Then he opened fire in a classroom.
It is just as true now as it was then that hate kills. Gendered violence is still a clear and present danger to the safety of women, girls and gender-diverse people; moreover, that violence is rising. In the last year alone, three women in my city of London, Ontario, have been killed by the men in their lives. We lost Carolyn Carter, Caitlin Jennings and Tiffany Gates to femicide. Across Ontario, 62 women and gender-diverse individuals were killed by a man in their life. Anova's emergency shelter for abused women and their children in London has helped 342 women in our city this year, but the shelter was forced to turn people away more than 2,400 times because of a lack of beds.
The experience is the same for so many organizations fighting on the front lines against gender-based violence. The London Abused Women's Centre, Le carrefour des femmes, Atlohsa and My Sister's Place are all seeing a rise in demand for the support and services they provide. The people who work in these organizations are incredible. They are doing everything they can to save people's lives. Of course, that rise in demand is not just happening in London, Ontario. Across Canada, more than four in 10 women have experienced intimate partner violence and a woman or girl is killed every 48 hours.
Yesterday, we received new numbers from Stats Can showing that more women have faced sexual violence and gender-based violence in the military. After years of repeated promises for systemic change and an overhaul of the toxic culture, after so many false starts from senior leadership in terms of making those reforms, the sexual misconduct crisis is only growing.
In this country, there is a hard truth that, if I went missing, it would mean something different than it would if an indigenous woman or girl went missing. In Canada, indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people are 12 times more likely to be murdered or go missing compared with any other woman in Canada. It is important that we take today to remember the victims of violence against women, but that is not enough. Year after year, government after government has kept women waiting on action for systemic injustices.
There are real, tangible solutions that we can take up in this chamber to support women. Today is a day for us all to find the political courage to act. My colleague spoke about that action that we need to see now. It is possible. We hold that position here today. We have bills from my NDP colleagues, such as Bill C-332, to criminalize coercive and controlling behaviour, from the member for Victoria. Over 95% of victims of intimate partner violence report coercive behaviour and control as a precursor to physical violence. We can take a meaningful step towards ending femicide with this bill by allowing women to speak out early.
On other important changes, I have two bills, Bill C-362 and Bill C-363, that would give women in the military access to justice. Since Justice Arbour's recommendations came forward, we have heard from every party in the chamber that members want to end the rampant abuse and cover-ups that protect perpetrators and hurt survivors of military sexual trauma. We can come together and pass all of these bills.
Finally, in the spring, we unanimously passed the motion from my colleague, the member for Winnipeg Centre, to create a red dress alert system to find and protect indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people. We can act to create that system.
On this National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, I hope we all reflect on the actions we can take and the responsibility we have as parliamentarians. We must renew our efforts to end gender-based violence with the urgency it requires and demands.
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- Dec/6/23 5:10:56 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is an honour to join in rising to commemorate the 14 victims of this horrific act of femicide at École Polytechnique 34 years ago: 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.
I was five years old when these women were murdered simply for being women. Coming from a suburb of Montreal, I grew up in the shadow of this hate. Thirty-four years later, let us forget neither the women killed nor the fact that femicide not only continues to this day but also has worsened. In Canada today, a woman or girl is killed by violence every two days, every 48 hours, and that number is rising. Indigenous women and girls are 12 times more likely to be murdered or go missing than any other women in Canada. Let us also recognize that the perpetrators of gender-based violence are, more often than not, men.
As the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth rightfully pointed out earlier, this is not a women's issue. As men, we have a critical role to play in ending gender-based violence. If we are going to root out misogyny and patriarchy, we must stand up, call it out and lift up the voices of women, girls and non-binary folks, such as my incredible colleagues who spoke this afternoon, including the minister, the member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, the member for Shefford and the member for London—Fanshawe.
I am proud to represent a community that has at least acknowledged and declared that intimate partner violence is an epidemic, but as other colleagues have called out, we need far more action, and this includes providing more sustainable funding for organizations, such as those in my community, that are working every day on the ground to end gender-based violence. This violence leads to not only physical and emotional harm to women and their kids, but also increased risk to their mental health, of social isolation, and of housing and financial strains.
This action also must include following all 231 calls to justice from the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and, as the member for Winnipeg Centre has championed in this place, creating the national red dress alert system, which would immediately raise alarms for indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people who are missing, because commemorating the lives of the 14 women who never had the opportunity to live out their days means committing to work together to ensure this never happens again.
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