ALWAYS REMEMBER
At the Mount Royal lookout last night, 14 spotlights were directed into the heavens, shining through the darkness and blowing snow to commemorate 14 young lives senselessly extinguished by a killer 29 years ago. René Bruemmer reports
On Thursday at the Mount Royal lookout, at the same time of day that a shooter walked into the École Polytechnique de Montréal 29 years ago, 14 spotlights were illuminated and directed into the heavens, shining through the dark and the blowing snow to commemorate 14 young lives extinguished. Before the shining of each light, the name of a victim was read out. Geneviève Bergeron. Hélène Colgan. Nathalie Croteau. Barbara Daigneault. Anne-Marie Edward. Maud Haviernick. Barbara Klucznik. Maryse Laganière. Maryse Leclair. Anne-Marie Lemay. Sonia Pelletier. Michèle Richard. Annie St-Arneault. Annie Turcotte. Those in attendance included Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in town for a premier’s conference, and his wife, Sophie Grégoire. Quebec Premier François Legault was there, accompanied by several other Canadian premiers, the leaders of Quebec’s opposition parties, municipal councillors and Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante. The remembrance has become an important annual act of mourning that resonates across the country, Plante said. “Every time I come I feel like this is a ritual, not only for me, but for a lot of Montrealers who join us here or watch on TV,” she said. “I’m happy to see that not only our prime minister and our premier are here, but also other Canadian premiers that decided to join us for this ceremony for the loss of these 14 women who died because they were women. I’m glad that there’s echoes across the country because we all have to fight violence against girls and women.” On Dec. 6, 1989, 13 engineering students and one university worker were killed. The shooter entered the university at about 5:10 p.m. on the last day of the term, separated women from men, and fired on the women with a semi-automatic rifle. “You are all feminists!” he screamed. He killed himself. In the aftermath of the shootings, spurred in part by the advocacy of survivors of the Polytechnique massacre and family members of the victims, Canada enacted stronger gun-control laws and enforced the registration of all firearms. In 2012, the Conservative government abolished the long-gun registry pertaining to non-restricted firearms. Grégoire said the vigil is a reminder that gender discrimination and violence remains a global problem that must be constantly addressed. “It’s about shared feelings and the common solidarity that we feel as individuals, and how responsibly we have to behave in our daily lives to counter, prevent and denounce gender-based violence,” she said. “We must face our truths as individuals to see the darkness, but also to make sure that we know where that darkness lives and address it. We have to have these awkward conversations, whether it’s our own homes, schools in public areas or in companies. “For men and boys as well. They need to grow up to a notion of masculinity that allows them to express what is repressed and to become wise, grounded, open-hearted individuals who treat women with respect.” Trudeau told a Montreal radio show Thursday morning that the government is considering tighter controls on handguns and assault rifles. He did not rule out a ban on handguns. In August, Montreal city council unanimously adopted a motion to demand the federal government ban handguns and assault rifles, replicating a similar motion made by Toronto a month earlier following a surge in gun violence and fatalities in Canada’s largest city. In their demand, Montreal’s council cited four gun-related tragedies that have struck Quebec: the 1989 Polytechnique massacre, the 1992 shooting at Concordia University, the 2006 shooting at Dawson College and last year’s deadly attack at a mosque in Quebec City.
We have to have these awkward conversations, whether it’s our own homes, schools in public areas or in companies.