Quebec remembers École Polytechnique mass shooting at 32nd anniversary ceremonies
'There are many horrible things that happen and we have to have the courage to name them,' survivor says
It has been decades since the mass shooting at École Polytechnique, but the Montreal tragedy still burns in the hearts of Canadians who paid tribute to the 14 victims throughout the day Monday.
Survivor Michèle Thibodeau-DeGuire says she struggles to find the words to describe Dec. 6, 1989, when she, like many others, found herself hiding from gunfire under a desk. She was the school's head of communications at the time of the tragedy.
Today, she is chair of the Polytechnique board of directors. She attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the university on Monday, as she has done every year since the massacre.
"What this day means is remembering the horrible thing that happened," she said. "Nobody could believe that it could happen here at Polytechnique."
Serge St-Arneault, brother of Polytechnique victim Annie St-Arneault, said on Monday that the gunman "had disfigured the face of humanity where each person is a sacred story."
St-Arneault is a member of the gun control advocacy group, PolySeSouvient.
Montreal and cities across Canada are hosting events Monday to commemorate the victims.
The vigil at École Polytechnique originally planned to take place at noon was moved online because of weather conditions.
In the evening, 14 beams of light were projected to the sky from the top of Montreal's Mount Royal — each light representing one of the victims. A quiet, sombre ceremony was held, naming each victim and remembering them.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended the ceremony.
"They were strong. They were smart. They were women. And they were murdered because of it," he said on Twitter. "We cannot allow this gender-based violence to exist."
After the ceremony, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said the anniversary is a good time to reflect as a society and individually on what we can do to fight violence against women and girls.
"Everything needs to be done as a society to fight that situation," she said.
Quebec Premier François Legault said the vast majority of Quebecers believe in equal rights, and the massacre at Polytechnique does not represent the province's values.
"Unfortunately, we have recently seen violence against women," he said. "We will continue to fight that."
Fighting violence against women
The federal minister for women and gender equality says a promised national action plan to end gender-based violence is on track.
Marci Ien says as the country marks the national day of remembrance on the anniversary of the Montreal massacre, it's important to remember that domestic violence has many long-lasting impacts beyond its direct victims.
The House of Commons held a moment of silence to remember the victims of Polytechnique and the dozens of women who have been killed by romantic partners in the last year.
Fédération des femmes du Québec president Mélanie Ederer said, like the victims of the 1989 massacre, the 18 women killed so far in 2021 in Quebec are not just a number, but women who each had a history and aspirations.
"Violence against women is a constant struggle. Never let our guard down," said Quebec Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault in a tweet Monday.
Exponential growth
In 1963, survivor Thibodeau-DeGuire became the first woman to graduate from the university in civil engineering. She says she's happy to see the number of women enrolled grow exponentially.
Currently, some 2,000 women at Polytechnique aspire to become engineers.
"You think of all the wonderful things that these girls could have done," Thibodeau-DeGuire said, referring to the women killed in 1989.
As Quebec sees an increase of violent killings of women across the province this year, she says it's crucial to note the Polytechnique shooting stemmed from anti-feminist beliefs by calling it a femicide.
"There are many horrible things that happen and we have to have the courage to name them," she said. "Once you name them, you know what you're going after."
Survivor Nathalie Provost said on Monday that Canada must fight for better gun control.
This year's anniversary is not a pivotal one, but the duty to remember remains especially in a time when gun violence is on the rise in Montreal and so many women are being killed in the province, she told Radio-Canada.
"It must be said that the challenges we face today are much more complex than those of the 90s," said Provost, citing concern for the online arms trade and the "coolness" of gun culture.
with files from Jay Turnbull, La Presse canadienne and Radio-Canada