Recognizing the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

On December 6, the University of Toronto recognizes the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, created in response to the murder of 14 women at the Montreal engineering school École Polytechnique in 1989. Known as the Montreal Massacre, this brutal act of femicide exposed the extreme ways in which hatred based on gender identity can manifest. It deeply impacted citizens across the country and profoundly shook Canada’s post-secondary sector, particularly at institutions which, like École Polytechnique, actively supported the success of women in what were then considered “nontraditional” career paths.

More than thirty years later, Canada is still working to end violence targeting sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, or perceived gender. Two national action plans to address the issue—the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan and the 10-year plan to end gender-based violence in Canada—have been launched since 2021 alone. National data confirm that the roots of gender-based violence are many and complex, encompassing not only misogyny, but also racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of discrimination and violence.

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