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Calgary post-secondary schools mark 30th anniversary of Montreal Massacre

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Almost every hand in a crowd of almost 100 raised in the air when asked if they knew someone, or they themselves had experienced gender-based violence.

During a memorial event marking the 30th anniversary of the Montreal massacre — where 14 women lost their lives to a misogynistic act of violence — advocates shared their fear that despite the strides made to curb gender-based violence there is still much to do.

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The many hands raised high were a solemn reminder of that.

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“Violence against women is one of the most pervasive violations of human rights in the world. It is one of the least prosecuted crimes and one of the greatest threats to lasting peace and development,” said Geeta Sankappanavar at the University of Calgary Schulich School of Engineering memorial, before sharing sobering statistics on gender violence in Canada.

Sankappanavar explained how gender inequality contributes to the murder of one Canadian woman every 2½ days.

She also said one out of 10 Canadian youth aged 15 to 17 report experiencing abuse in an intimate pattern relationship in the last five years and one in every four Canadians report experiencing physical violence or sexual abuse, including rape. There are also 186 women and children, per day, who take action by seeking shelter at a registered Canadian facility every day.

“Every day,” Sankappanavar repeated.

“Our ability to change that narrative, to bring it from the darkness into the light, is something that we must address as Albertans, as Canadians, as humans.”

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As she spoke, a memorial candle flickered next to a vase of red roses in memory of the 14 women who were killed thirty years ago.

The shooting took place on Dec. 6, 1989, where Marc Lepine entered a mechanical engineering class at Montreal’s École Polytechnique and killed 14 women, a staff member and students, in an act of terror. Lepine said he was “fighting feminism.”

It remains the deadliest mass shooting in the country’s history.

Pictured are 14 candles, in memory of the 14 women killed in 1989 Montreal Massacre, placed outside the University of Calgary Women’s Resource Centre on the 30th anniversary of the shooting on Friday, December 6, 2019.
Pictured are 14 candles, in memory of the 14 women killed in 1989 Montreal Massacre, placed outside the University of Calgary Women’s Resource Centre on the 30th anniversary of the shooting on Friday, December 6, 2019. Photo by Azin Ghaffari /Azin Ghaffari/Postmedia Calgary

Tim Rahilly, president of Mount Royal University, was in Montreal the day the massacre took place. He said he remembers it vividly and how it impacted both himself and his friends.

“It changed the way we look at gender-based violence and I also think we had some innocence and thought schools were always safe places, and while they are generally very safe, that was the first school shooting in Canada and we subsequently had more,” he said. “I think it just sent shockwaves and made us realize we need to work diligently to make sure these things don’t happen again.”

He said Mount Royal hosts a memorial every year to honour the women, and similarly to the University of Calgary, had candles, roses and photos of the 14 killed.

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Rahilly said a lot has happened since that dreadful day but there are still concerns, some of which he hears about from his students, about the treatment of women in society. To enact change, he said it has to be a collective effort by all members of the community.

At the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, students and staff took part in a white ribbon campaign leading up to the memorial event Friday that highlighted the women who lost their lives. Their event also introduced attendees to resources and organizations that are against gender-based violence.

Sarah Borsato, outreach co-ordinator at the SAIT students’ association and organizer of the event, said it’s important that students — many of whom weren’t alive yet during the massacre — know about the dark event.

“It was a deeply solemn event and, actually, I feel quite shocked about how few people knew about it,” said Borsato.

“This is one of the largest acts of terrorism that’s happened in the country and it happened because women were entering the field of science and technology. There are still barriers to women in science and technology and so I think it’s important that we don’t forget this happened.”

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Premier Jason Kenney shared his thought about the events of Dec. 6, 1989, which he said is remembered with anger and sadness.

“Canada was shocked when we learned that a gunman had opened fire at Montreal’s École Polytechnique, killing 14 women and injuring another 10 before turning the rifle on himself. In his suicide note, he blamed feminists for ruining his life,” said Kenney in a statement.

“It is incumbent upon all of us to expose and shame those who perpetuate the type of hatred and misogyny that led to this terrible crime. We can and must be better for the next generation of women and girls. We must never allow this to happen again.”

alsmith@postmedia.com

Twitter: @alanna_smithh

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