On Dec. 6, 1989, a gunman attacked Polytechnique Montreal with an anti-woman motive.
According to a statement from the university, issued in remembrance of the attack, 14 young women lost their lives ranging from 20 to 31 years old. In addition, 13 other people were injured.
The lives cut short included a dozen engineering students, one nursing student, and a young employee in the finance department.
The federal government also named Dec. 6 “The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women” because of the attack.
“This event also serves as an occasion to reaffirm our enduring hope for and belief in the future. While time cannot fully heal so great a wound, life is sacred and it is important that we honour it, even with our pain,” the statement said.
The university’s statement said it emphasize courage, solidarity, and “dedication to equity” in the Polytechnique community by remembering the devastating event.
The lives lost were: Geneviève Bergeron, 21, Hélène Colgan, 23, Nathalie Croteau, 23, Barbara Daigneault, 22, Anne-Marie Edward, 21, Maud Haviernick, 29, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, 31, Maryse Laganière, 25, Maryse Leclair, 23, Anne-Marie Lemay, 22, Sonia Pelletier, 28, Michèle Richard, 21, Annie St-Arneault, 23, and the youngest, Annie Turcotte, 20.
“The triumphs and successes of our community are the most sincere way to honour the 14 women whose lives and dreams were dramatically and unjustly cut short.” the statement said.
In the week before the anniversary, there have been several commemorative activities.
This included “Week of the White Rose“, an event introduced by Polytechnique in 2014, the 25th anniversary of the attack.
It is an annual fundraiser that gives all proceeds to Folie Technique, whose goal is to give young girls from disadvantaged communities a chance to participate in science camps, aimed at sparking their love for engineering and science. This is done by selling virtual white roses.
Members of the Polytechnique community and the general public are invited to donate.
The ninth “Order of the White Rose” scholarship ceremony was held on Dec. 4. This is a $50,000 scholarship given to a Canadian engineering student seeking graduate studies.
Between Dec. 4 and Dec. 6, Polytechnique also gave out white ribbons to be worn in remembrance and solidarity, and to raise awareness of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
On Dec. 6, white ribbons were also handed out at the Universite de Montreal’s Roger-Gaudry building, which was also illuminated in remembrance.
Flags at Polytechnique, as they are every year, were also flown at half-mast all day on Dec. 6.
Humber College observed the day in a message to staff and faculty.