Monique Lépine, mother of Montreal Massacre shooter, speaks in Whitehorse

The mother of the gunman behind the Montreal Massacre was in Whitehorse Tuesday night to speak publicly about how his actions affected her and how others can heal.

On Dec. 6, 1989, Marc Lépine entered École Polytechnique and murdered 14 young women before turning the gun on himself.

It took 17 years before his mother, Monique Lépine, could speak publicly about the killings. But after a shooting in 2006 at Montreal's Dawson College she finally spoke out in hopes that telling her story could make a difference.

More than 80 people crowded into the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre Tuesday night, many saying they were drawn to Lépine's unusual perspective.

"She's innocent of the whole process, you know, but she ends up wearing it?" Bill Webber said.

Mark Rutledge, who has three children, said he empathizes with Lépine.

"Men need help, and her son needed help. She said that many times tonight," Rutledge said.

"It is tough to have your child do such a horrendous act...it took her a long time to realize that she had to forgive herself."

'I still have love for him' 

Lépine did not want to be interviewed, but she says she doesn't mind telling her story because it is her own.

"I am the mother of Marc Lépine," she said. "And I still have love for him."

Lépine says she can't explain her son's actions, but she hopes her story of pain and forgiveness will help other people acknowledge their own pain.

Leah Gillis, who attended the talk, says that's why she's grateful for Lépine's story. 

"We need to keep talking about it, so the issue is more on people's radar."

Lépine will also speak at Yukon College in Whitehorse on Thursday at noon.