Survivors, activists to mark 31st anniversary of Polytechnique killings

A survivor of the Ecole Polytechnique massacre says the 14 women killed 31 years ago today are more than just names.

Nathalie Provost, who was shot four times when a gunman stormed Ecole Polytechnique in 1989, says there can be no quiet mourning for the dead, even 31 years after they were killed by a gunman acting out of hatred toward feminists, because the fight to prevent violence against women continues.

Provost spoke during a live-streamed ceremony this afternoon at a Montreal park named in honour of the 14 victims, many of whom were engineering students at the school.

Fourteen beams of light, representing the Polytechnique victims, will be shone into the sky from a lookout on Mount Royal in Montreal this evening.

Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante, Polytechnique director Philippe Tanguy, and the sister of one of the victims, Catherine Bergeron, will also lay a wreath of roses.

The anniversary of the attack has become a day to reflect and call for action to end gender-based violence, but this year those moments will largely take place alone rather than in groups.

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
Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz

Provost fears participation may be lower this year, noting people are tired of staring at screens.

“Gatherings are important for mourning and for commemoration, and now we’re trying to do them virtually, and my impression is that it’s much harder to achieve,” she said.

This diminished participation may come at a time when advocates say the issue of gender-based violence is more urgent than ever.

Elisabeth Fluet-Asselin, a spokeswoman for the Quebec Women’s Federation, said the pandemic has led to increased demand for women’s shelter space, difficulty in accessing services, and mental health struggles brought on by isolation. She said some groups are particularly affected, including Indigenous women, members of the LGBTQ community, women with disabilities and those in prison.

In addition to a Sunday ceremony at a Montreal park, the federation has organized a number of virtual events as part of its 12 days of action, including podcasts, videos, panel discussions, and art and poetry events – all designed to highlight and denounce the systemic nature of gender-based violence.

“Violence against women is not just physical, domestic, or sexual, there are lots of other kinds and we can’t forget them, especially in the current context,” Fluet-Asselin said in an interview.

Provost, for her part, worries about a rise in online abuse spread on social media, which she said can lead to real, violent consequences.

Over the years, Provost said her own emotions surrounding what happened to her during the massacre tend to ebb and flow.

This year, she mostly feels tired, and frustrated at the slow pace of change when it comes to gun control.

Provost said she was encouraged by a previously announced federal plan to ban some 1,500 types of assault-style firearms. But she said there’s still much she’d like to see, including a ban on handguns, stronger tools for police to intervene in so-called “red flag” situations, and action to address the guns currently in circulation.

Eventually, she hopes to turn the page on the shooting, and let the anniversary become a day of quiet remembrance. Instead, she says the opposite seems to be happening as victims of shootings in Toronto, Quebec City and Nova Scotia add their voices to those calling for change.

“We don’t need any more commemorations,” she said.

“We don’t want to create new ones. We want it to stop.”