As NDP critic for Women and Gender Equality, Leah Gazan issued the following statement:
On the International Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada, we remember and honour the victims of the mass femicide that took place at the École Polytechnique de Montréal 35 years ago. In this tragedy, 14 women lost their lives and 14 other people were injured, 10 of whom were women.
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 not forget you.
Extremist violence is the natural consequence of misogyny and, shamefully, this hatred is still prevalent in our society today. Gender-based violence (GBV) is an epidemic in Canada. On average, a woman or girl is killed every 2.3 days. This violence disproportionately impacts BIPOC folks, members of the disability community and 2SLGBTQIA+ people, with as many as 59% of transgender and gender diverse people experiencing violence in their lifetimes.
That’s why it’s so disturbing that the same type of misogynistic and hateful extremism that inspired the femicide at the École Polytechnique de Montréal is once again on the rise. Fringe hate groups have been tacitly supported by a growing number of leaders and parliamentarians, emboldening these groups to escalate their hate and violence. As a result, more and more women and gender diverse people in leadership roles have reported threats of violence, as misogynist groups try to push them out of positions of authority. Meanwhile, the RCMP has reported that a growing ‘anti-gender movement’ “could inspire and encourage serious violence against the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.”
The only way to prevent more violent tragedies is to unequivocally denounce hate and discredit hate movements. Discriminatory hate and the incitement of violence have no place in our communities, full stop. Alongside my colleagues in the NDP, I will continue to fight back against hateful rhetoric and push for legislation that protects all women and gender diverse people and addresses violence at the source.
We continue to advocate for the implementation of a Red Dress Alert to notify the public when an Indigenous woman, girl or gender diverse person goes missing. The crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous women, girls and two spirit people (MMIWG2S+) is a national emergency, and we need to treat it with the urgency it deserves.
We also remain committed to proactive solutions to GBV that ensure women and gender diverse people have the resources needed to protect themselves from violence. That includes expanding affordable, rent-geared-to-income housing and barrier-free shelter spaces so that people with abusive partners or family members have the option to flee violence. It also includes a guaranteed, liveable basic income so that low-income people don’t have to rely on abusers for access to the necessities of life, like food or housing.
Misogyny, transphobia, and anti-2SLGBTQAI+ hate are reprehensible, regressive, and anti-social. Today, and everyday, we mourn those who have lost their lives to extremist hate and commit to fighting for a future free from the tyranny of gender-based violence.