Statement by the prime minister on the national day of remembrance and action on violence against women

December 05, 2010

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement to mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women on December 6:

“On December 6, 1989, the lives of 14 young women were cut short in one of the most heinous acts of violence in Canadian history.  They were daughters, sisters, wives and friends whose lives were full of promise and hope, horrifically taken by a gunman at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal.
 
“That these women were gunned down for no other reason than their gender is as incomprehensible now as it was in 1989.  While we cannot, and probably never will, be able to make sense of the events of that day, we can work to ensure that it never happens again.
 
“Today, let us remember Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault and Annie Turcotte.  And let us pay tribute to their memory in the best way that we can: by working to eliminate violence against women while making our communities safer for all Canadians.”