National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

Check out these resources for more information 

National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women November 25 

16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence 

Final Report on the National Inquiry of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls 

University of Lethbridge: Peace Memorial Garden

December 6, 2024 marked 35 years since the tragic massacre of 14 women at the Ecole Polytechnique. The University of Lethbridge honors these women with the painting of the Women's Peace Garden Memorial Mural. Creating the Peace Memorial Garden and displaying this tragically beautiful art in the Library demonstrates our commitment to ending gender-based violence on campus and in our community as a whole. The mural was painted by U of L Fine Arts student, Claire Lahey, a SGBVP ambassador. The art creates a narrative honoring these women and educating students to continue to build a safe campus, free from gender-based violence.

The Women's Peace Memorial Garden

Dec. 5, 2025 - Awareness to Action: Gender-Based Violence in the Digital Age

 
Join the Sexual and Gender-based Violence Prevention Office and the Accessibility, Belonging and Community Office for a time of remembrance and reflection. The event, Awareness to Action: Gender-Based Violence in the Digital Age, which will include a mini-workshop on digital harm and 16 Days of Activism will be hosted in the Library in front of the Women's Peace Garden Memorial Mural at 11:30 a.m. A wellness painting activity will follow the formal program. 

Find more information on the event here: 

National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women 2025

The École Polytechnique massacre also known as the Montreal massacre, was an antifeminist mass shooting that occurred on December 6, 1989, at the École Polytechnique de Montréal in Montreal, Quebec. Fourteen women were murdered; another ten women and four men were injured.

Sometime after 4 p.m. on December 6, 1989, the gunman, a 25-year-old male, arrived at the École Polytechnique, an engineering school affiliated with the Université de Montréal, armed with a rifle and a knife. He separated the male and female students in the classroom and after separating the students, he ordered the men to leave the room. He then asked the women if they knew why they were there; a student asked who he was and he indicated that he was fighting feminism. One of the students protested that they were women studying engineering, not feminists fighting against men or marching to prove that they were better. He opened fire on the students, from left to right, killing six and wounding three others. 

For nearly 20 minutes the shooter moved through corridors on multiple floors of the building, the cafeteria, and another classroom, targeting women. He wounded more students and killed eight more women before fatally shooting himself. In total, he killed 14 women; he wounded 10 other women and four men. The massacre is now widely regarded as an act of misogynist terrorism and representative of wider societal violence against women. The anniversary of the massacre is commemorated annually as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

Over the years, Canadians have responded to the massacre with many memorials demonstrating the commitment to remembering these victims. Ensuring that people will continually become more aware of the incident and encourage individuals to recognize how often violence occurs towards women. Canadian flags on all federal buildings – including the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa – are flown at half-mast on December 6. Canadians are also encouraged to observe a minute of silence on December 6 and to wear a white ribbon (or a purple ribbon) as a commitment to end violence against women.