December 6, 2021

OTTAWA—From coast to coast to coast, Canadians still bear the scars of the tragic event that unfolded on December 6, 1989, at Polytechnique Montréal. We will never forget that the lives of 14 people, whose future looked promising, were taken solely because they were women.

For them, for all women and girls, for our communities, we must take concrete action to build a future free from violence. We have an individual and collective responsibility to change things, to take a stand and to break the silence in order to be part of the solution.

Although significant awareness, prevention and intervention efforts to counter gender-based violence are underway across the country, the pandemic has unfortunately amplified the number of victims and the degree of their suffering. It is clear that together, we still have so much to do.

On the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, let us come together to ensure that such acts of hatred never happen again. Let us realize our vision of a better world for all where tolerance, justice and equality prevail.

Mary Simon

Media information:
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media@gg.ca

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