“The brutal murder of fourteen bright, promising young women at École Polytechnique massacre twenty four years ago today remains a singular and horrific crime. It is seared into our souls – representing the most blatant and brutal act of misogyny in our history. Nevertheless, there are many hundreds and thousands more women brutalized by others.
Today, half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence by age 16. The Canadian Women’s Foundation reports that on any given day in Canada, more than 3,300 women (along with 3,000 children) are forced to sleep in an emergency shelter to escape domestic violence.
Rates of violence against women are disproportionately high within Canada’s most vulnerable communities. We are mindful of the missing and murdered Aboriginal women, whose victimization cries out for justice.
The Harper administration continues to ignore the calls from the UN Human Rights Council to conduct a federal inquiry into these horrible crimes. The Green Party fully supports the demand by the Native Women’s Association of Canada for greater government action to end this epidemic of violence.
A future free of violence against women is possible. We want to live in a country where everyone can live without fear.”
- Elizabeth May, O.C., MP