Roses laid out at TRU for 14 victims of Polytechnique Montréal murders (Image Credit: CFJC News)

By Sydney Chisholm

'This spirit persists because the issue persists'

On a grim anniversary, women gather at TRU to stand against gender-based violence

Dec 6, 2023 | 5:30 PM

KAMLOOPS – December 6 is National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

In commemoration, a group of women gathered on campus at Thompson Rivers University for a candlelight vigil.

On Dec. 6, 1989, 14 women lost their lives at École Polytechnique de Montréal. The students were shot and killed by a man simply for being women.

Thirty-four years later, people across the country are still coming together to commemorate those lives lost and reflect on gender-based violence.

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“Every year, we hold space to honour and remember the 14 women who lost their lives in the massacre at L’école Polytechnique that occurred in Montreal in 1989,” said one of the organizers of the vigil, Amy McLay Paterson.

Each year, organizers at TRU buy 15 roses, one for each of the 14 victims in Montreal and one for all the other victims of gender based violence.

“It makes me feel very comforted to see people here, to see people still remembering the women who died and of course, to acknowledge that this is still happening in this country at campuses across this country,” said Julia Wells, who was living in Montreal in 1989.

For some attendees, like Wells, Dec. 6 is more personal.

Kim Van Haren was a student at McGill University when the women were murdered and attended a funeral for the victims.

“You never forget that image of walking into the room where the caskets were laid and there was 14 to walk by,” said Van Haren. “Every year I take a moment of pause and consider what happened on that day and how these families were so impacted and how the students, you know, through these opportunities, these incredibly brilliant women, just didn’t have an opportunity to further their studies, their careers – leave an impact the way they wanted to leave an impact.”

Others weren’t born until decades later.

“I really appreciate the students coming who were not alive on this day,” said McLay Paterson. “I can only assume that they’re here because they still see the spirit of this thing happening. It’s still very much a problem of violence and how that intersection of violence is still existing in Canada in particular. This spirit persists because the issue persists.”

No men attended Wednesday’s gathering, but organizers say they are welcome to come and support the community next year.