Saskatchewan recognizes the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada on Friday.
It is also the 30th anniversary of the deaths of 14 female engineering students who were targeted and killed in 1989 at Montreal’s École Polytechnique because they were women.
“Combatting violence against women and girls is everyone’s responsibility,” Minister Responsible for the Status of Women Tina Beaudry-Mellor said in a release. “The National Day of Remembrance on December 6 provides us with a day to remember and honour those who have lost their lives through violence and to think of ways we can each help.”
“Our government is committed to making our communities safer and reducing crime, specifically for those at risk of gender-based violence,” Justice Minister and Attorney General Don Morgan said. “We’re taking action to ensure Saskatchewan is a place where women can live, work and go to school without needing to worry about the threat of violence.”
The White Ribbon Campaign was launched in 1991 to raise awareness, promote gender equality and condemn gender-based violence. The Government of Saskatchewan is committed to ending violence against women and girls. Ministries within the Saskatchewan Public Service are wearing white ribbons to show their support of efforts to prevent and end violence targeted at women and girls.
The province says last year it developed new programs and policies to assist those dealing with gender-based violence which include:
• Passage of The Interpersonal Violence Disclosure Protocol Act (Clare’s Law);
• Launch of the Legal Information and Advice for Survivors of Sexual Violence (the Listen Project);
• Implemented a new policy with the Saskatchewan Police Commission that improves how investigations into incidents of intimate partner violence are conducted;
• Partnered with Sexual Assault Services of Saskatchewan and the Regina Police Service to support a pilot project of the Philadelphia Model at the Regina Police Service;
• Interpersonal violence awareness training for Conservation Officers and Highway Patrol Officers; and
• Released a paper that addresses the shared responsibility of solving the complex issue of interpersonal violence and abuse in Saskatchewan.
The YWCA took some time Friday morning to hand out red roses at the Cornwall Centre and educate people on the day.
The @YWCARegina is handing out red roses and the Cornwall Centre to mark the the 30th anniversary of the #MontrealMassacre and recognize National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Woman #OurActionsMatter pic.twitter.com/MKMEFHBgpv
— Mackenzie Read (@read_mackenzie) December 6, 2019
There will also be a candlelight vigil at the United Way offices at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
University of Regina remembers Montreal Massacre
Candles surround the photos of the 14 victims from the École Polytechnique shooting on December 6, 1989. The portraits were displayed on Friday at the Riddell Centre lobby in the University of Regina. (Photo: Moises Canales/620 CKRM)
Students, faculty, administration and others gathered on Friday afternoon at the Riddell Centre in the University of Regina to take part in a candlelight vigil to remember the victims of the Montreal Massacre and to condemn gender violence.
Hibba Syeda, a third year industrial engineering student at the U of R, talked about the importance of raising awareness regarding gender-based issues that were prevalent then and continue to exist today.
She said it’s important to never let the memory of this event fade.
“We as a society are a representation of our past and this will dictate what our future will hold,” she explained to reporters.
“Once we start raising awareness, we know what these issues are, how we can solve them, and what actions and laws need to be passed to achieve safety in the workplace and other environments.”
U of R engineering student Hibba Syeda speaks to the audience on Friday afternoon. (Photo: Moises Canales/620 CKRM)
The afternoon event was a chance for people to discuss ongoing issues regarding gender violence they have experienced themselves or witnessed.
Jill Arnott, executive director of the U of R Women’s Centre, was one of the speakers at the vigil. She had an opportunity to share her thoughts on the murders that took place three decades ago and discussed how people can make a difference by changing their attitudes and raising awareness.
While some people have taken strides towards making a difference, she said problems with violence are still common – even at the university.
“It happens all the time. It happens at every corner in our society and I have students in my office talking about the things that happened to them at least a few times a week,” she shared.
“I don’t know many women who haven’t had their own experiences.”
White ribbons were distributed at the vigil and throughout campus on Friday to remember and honour the victims. The university also plans to shine their main campus sign on the corner of Wascana Parkway and Kramer Boulevard with a red light this evening.
(Files from Mackenzie Read and Moises Canales)
