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Executive Council December 4, 2008 The following statement was issued by the Honourable Kathy Dunderdale, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, Minister of Natural Resources, Minister Responsible for the Forestry and Agrifoods Agency, and Deputy Premier. It was also read in the House of Assembly: Province Honours the Memories of Montreal Massacre Victims I rise today to recognize December 6 � this coming Saturday � as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Established in 1991 by the Federal Government, this day honours the anniversary of the death of 14 young women who were shot and killed on December 6, 1989, at Montreal�s Ecole Polytechnique. These women were targeted simply because they were women and they had chosen to study engineering, a field traditionally dominated by men. The purple ribbons that have been placed on your desks today are an important symbol of remembrance to women everywhere who have lost their lives to violence. Let this ribbon also symbolize the work that�s being done in our province to prevent violence against women. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary reports that 51 per cent of the 5,000 violent crimes committed in their jurisdiction in the last two years are related to severe violence against women. This is astounding, especially since the majority of violent crimes against women go unreported. The statistics speak for themselves. Between 2000 and 2008, 22 women have been killed in this province, three of them this year, in family violence situations. We can stop this violence, but we have to continue to work together and make violence against women unacceptable in every home and community. That is what we are trying to achieve through our six-year, $9.2-million Violence Prevention Initiative, which is now in its third year. As decision-makers, we have a crucial role to play in offering a sense of hope to women who live in fear. By continuing our work towards the elimination of violence, we can help these women to live freely and peacefully. As a memorial to the 14 young women who were killed on December 6, 19 years ago, and to all those who have lost their lives to violence, the flags outside the Confederation Building will be flown at half staff on Saturday. As a reminder to us all, I want to read out the names of those 14 women into the record of the House of Assembly: Genevieve Bergeron Helene Colgan Nathalie Croteau Barbara Daigneault Anne-Marie Edward Maud Haviernick Barbara Maria Klucznik Maryse Laganiere Maryse Leclair Anne-Marie Lemay Sonia Pelletier Michele Richard Annie St-Arneault Annie Turcotte I encourage all members and residents of the province to reflect on the need for all of us to join the fight towards the elimination of violence against women. 2008 12 04
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