Tributes for victims of Ecole Polytechnique shooting on 32nd anniversary

Tributes in Montreal and Ottawa are marking the 32nd anniversary of what’s widely believed to be Canada’s largest mass shooting specifically targeting women.

The shooting at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique took place on Dec. 6, 1989, when a man opened fire inside the engineering school, killing 14 women and injuring others.

Representatives of the school and student associations laid white roses early this morning in front of a commemorative plaque outside the building honouring the 14 lost lives.

Parliament declared the anniversary the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women in 1991, and federal political leaders today paid tribute to the victims.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is scheduled to take part in another commemorative event in Montreal later today, said in a statement that the anniversary is a reminder that violence is a “daily reality” for countless women, girls, and gender-diverse people in Canada.

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole said the tragedy that befell the victims at Polytechnique “must never happen again.”