Province Commemorates National Day of Remembrance and Action on
Violence Against Women

The Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women and Lead Minister for the Violence Prevention Initiative, will join Members of the House of Assembly, students, faculty, women’s groups and community members at a vigil tonight (Tuesday, December 6) at Memorial University’s S.J. Carew building to honour the victims of the Montreal Massacre. The vigil begins at 6:30 p.m.

On December 6, 1989, the lives of 14 female students were taken at Montreal’s École Polytechnique. They were students in the traditionally male-dominated field of engineering and targeted simply because they were women.

In 1991 the Federal Government designated December 6 as a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Twenty-two years later, this horrific event still serves as a chilling reminder that violence against women has devastating effects.

“I consider it an honour to attend this vigil and to pay tribute to the 14 young women whose lives were sadly taken 22 years ago,” said Minister Johnson. “It is important we continue to honour their memory with every step we take towards ending violence against women and every progressive milestone we achieve in gender equality.”

In Newfoundland and Labrador, violence against women currently remains a serious issue. According to data from the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, between 2006 and 2010 approximately 14,864 violent incidents were committed against women over the age of 18 throughout the province. With 214,702 women in this age group, a startling one in two (107,351) will experience at least one incident of sexual or physical violence throughout their lifetime. Only 10 per cent of these women (10,735) will report their victimization to police.

“We can stop this violence, but we all have a responsibility to work together and make violence against women unacceptable in every home and community,” said Minister Johnson. “That is what we are trying to achieve through our Violence Prevention Initiative and social marketing campaigns such as the Purple Ribbon and Respect Women campaigns. We want to encourage every person in Newfoundland and Labrador to take a strong stand against violence against women.”

The Purple Ribbon Campaign is currently in effect throughout the province until December 10. This campaign promotes awareness about the prevention of violence against women and honours women who have been abused or have died in a violent situation. The purple ribbon symbolizes the hope that comes from collective efforts to end inequality and violence against women. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador encourages all residents to support and participate in the Purple Ribbon Campaign by wearing or displaying the ribbon. For more information please visit https://www.gov.nl.ca/vpi/. 

The Provincial Government honours the lives of the 14 women who did not survive the events of December 6, 1989 at École Polytechnique:

Geneviève Bergeron, 21 - second-year civil engineering scholarship student
Hélène Colgan, 23 - senior mechanical engineering student planning a master’s degree
Nathalie Croteau, 23 - senior mechanical engineering student
Barbara Daigneault, 22 - senior mechanical engineering student and teaching assistant
Anne-Marie Edward, 21 - first-year chemical engineering student
Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, 31 - first-year nursing student
Annie Turcotte, 21 - first-year engineering materials student
Maryse Laganière, 25 - budget clerk in school finance department
Maud Haviernick, 29 - second-year engineering materials student and environmental design graduate
Maryse Leclair, 23 - fourth-year student in engineering materials
Anne-Marie Lemay, 27 - fourth-year mechanical engineering student
Sonia Pelletier, 28 - due to graduate the next day in mechanical engineering; awarded a degree posthumously
Michèle Richard, 21 - second-year engineering materials student
Annie St. Arneault, 23 - mechanical engineering student

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Media contact:
Michelle Hunt
Director of Communications
Department of Child, Youth and Family Services
709-729-5148, 725-1593
michellehunt@gov.nl.ca

2011 12 06                             9:15 a.m.