Statement on the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

December 6, 2024 – On this National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada, we honour those who have lost their lives to gender-based violence (GBV). We also recommit ourselves to taking meaningful action to end violence against women and girls in all its forms.

Today, we remember the fourteen women killed in an act of gun violence, rooted in misogyny at l’École Polytechnique in Montreal in 1989. 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

Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz

Thirty-five years later, violence against women, girls, and gender-diverse people is an epidemic in Canada. Between 2010 and 2019, firearm injuries were the second leading cause of death in domestic homicides in Canada, and the leading cause in rural communities.^{Footnote 2}   Beyond physical harm, the presence of a firearm in the home can make victims of intimate partner violence more fearful for their safety  and the safety of their children and pets. It also can facilitate coercive control.

Canada must take effective action to ensure the safety of women and girls. GBV is a human rights issue and must be addressed.

We recognize the tireless advocacy of organizations like the National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL), PolySeSouvient, and the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability. Together with a coalition of 50 women’s organizations and families of femicide and familicide victims, they have called^{Footnote 3}  on the federal government to fully implement the provisions in Bill C-21^{Footnote 4} , which became law on December 15, 2023. Important measures addressing gender-based violence have not yet come into force, pending necessary regulations.^{Footnote 5}

Recommendations

On this day, we must transform remembrance into action. We call on the government to urgently implement the remaining provisions of Bill C-21. Let us work collectively to ensure that no more lives are taken by preventable violence.