Canada’s deadliest mass shooting was remembered by the public last Thursday at a candlelight vigil held at the Dougall Park Gazebo in Gibsons.
On Dec. 6, 1989, 14 women were killed by Marc Lépine. He gunned down the victims, who he labelled as feminists, in the classrooms, hallways and cafeteria at École Polytechnique in Montréal. Ten other staff and students were wounded.
The names of the victims are: 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 and Klucznik-Widajewicz.
Each year, communities across Canada hold vigils on Dec. 6 to commemorate National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Parliament established the day of remembrance in 1991.
Sunshine Coast Labour Council members Miyuki Shinkai and Donna Thomas organized this year’s vigil. Shinkai, who hosted the event for the first time this year, called it “a peaceful way of showing our activism,” and said the event was about remembering the act of violence, but was also about “how we look after each other to ensure everybody is safe and healthy.”
The ceremony began with an introduction by Shinkai, then the approximately 40 people in attendance reflected quietly on the significance of the day. RCMP Staff Sgt. Poppy Hallam gave the keynote speech, reflecting on her experience with violence and efforts to education young people about preventing violence against women.
