OTTAWA -
On the anniversary of the shooting at Montreal's École Polytechnique, the
Green Party of Canada and the party’s Quebec Wing are sad to note that violence
against women is still a great concern in Canada. “With the loss of
the long-gun registry and with an increasingly punitive criminal justice
system, we must be on continual guard against the escalation of violence
against women,” said Leader Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands.
Survivors and
victims’ families of the 1989 Montreal massacre have protested the loss
of the long-gun registry. The Province of Quebec was also opposed to
the move and is fighting to keep the data on gun ownership, which the federal
government has proposed to destroy.
Jessica Gal, a
founder of the Green Party in Quebec and member of the party’s Quebec
Wing, noted that her province is especially sensitive to these
issues. “We will never forget the terrible violence at École
Polytechnique. It
has left a lasting scar and on each anniversary we remember and we ask
how we can reduce violence, for women and for all.”
Georges Laraque,
Deputy Leader of the Green Party of Canada, commented, “A big part of
reducing violence is to advance opportunities for women. This means
ending poverty, providing affordable child care, education, and housing.
On the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre, we must consider how
violence against a
particular gender has an impact on our society and how we can prevent
any such tragedies in the future.”
December 6th marks the
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in
Canada, which was established by the Parliament of Canada to mark the
anniversary of the murders in 1989 of 14 young women at l'École
Polytechnique de Montréal -- 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 --
and 13 others
wounded by Marc Lepine, a young man who blamed women for his life of
abuse and struggle.
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Media Contact:
Rebecca Harrison
cell: 613-614-4916
email: media@greenparty.ca