Remembering the victims of 1989 shooting
A candle is lit in remembrance of the 14 victims of violence against women during the mass shooting at École polytechnique in Montreal on Dec. 6, 1989. (Photo by Chris Jones)
By Chris Jones/The Oshawa Express
On Dec. 6, 1989 at around 5 p.m., Mark Lepine walked into Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal and killed 14 women.
After segregating the men and the women in the classroom, he took his rifle and murdered the women before using it on himself.
Lepine’s suicide note claimed that women had ruined his life, and that the murders were his way of “fighting feminism.”
On the anniversary of the massacre, UOIT students and faculty held a vigil to honour those who were killed.
The 12 engineering students, one nursing student, and one budget clerk from the schools finance department were killed simply because they were women in an engineering program, or were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. So the vigil was held in the General Motors of Canada Automotive Centre of Excellence (ACE).
With an array of testing equipment, including a large climatic tunnel, the ACE building is where engineering students congregate.
Jenieshia Jeyachandrakanthan is one of those students, as well as the co-president of the Women in Engineering Sub Society at UOIT, a group that promotes engineering in the community while also providing support for undergraduate students.
Speaking at the vigil, Jeyachandrakanthan said, “Their lives were taken solely because they were women. Twenty-nine years ago this tragic event shook the nation, but brought to our attention what was once considered to be a taboo topic: violence against women.”
She said that the massacre opened up many conversations about the daily difficulties that women face, which include “anything from abusive relationships, physical, verbal or sexual harassment at schools or workplaces, to gender based discrimination while seeking new opportunities.”
Jeyachandrakanthan notes that while these issues still exist in today’s world, the conversations have molded society to a point where women and girls are able to face their problems with more confidence and trust that their community will be willing to listen and take action.
“This incident has forced our community to strengthen laws to protect our women,” said Jeyachandrakanthan. “[It forced] our nation to enforce more strict gun laws, and review the way our police forces respond to such unexpected acts of violence in larger scales.”
She believes that gender equality can be established by empowering women to go into fields that they were once not a part of, such as engineering.
“These 14 women were unseen pioneers in the male dominated field of science and engineering, helping to break the glass ceiling,” she said. “These inspired young women entered into a field where others of their gender were deterred from entering.”
Sara Sharif, the Vice President Internal of the UOIT Graduate Student Council, also spoke at the vigil.
“It is the birthright of every human being to have equal rights in a society where they can live with equality and without any fear of violence, but unfortunately [the students] lives were ended by a boy who thought that they’re feminists, and attacked with no reason,” said Sharif.
She said that Lepine’s actions were meant to incite fear “in the hearts of every woman who dreams about an educated and well-informed future.”
“What he didn’t know was that this tragedy would kindle a fire in the hearts and minds of every woman to achieve their goals,” said Sharif. “He didn’t know that the victims of this tragedy will remain in our hearts and minds forever.”
She notes that while society has come a long way in the last 40 to 50 years, there is still work that needs to be done in order to achieve equality.
The final speaker, Dr. Shagheyegh Bagheri, an assistant professor, said that learning about the massacre is “a reminder that despite the equalities of the civilized world, women are still at risk of gender based violence.”
Bagheri said, “The simplest solution to stop violence against women is to empower women with education.”
At the vigil, 14 candles were lit to honour the victims on their 29th anniversary. The names of the victims are: Genevieve Bergeron, Helene Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Maryse Laganiere, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michele Richard, Annie St-Arneault, Annie Turcotte, and Barbara Klucznik.
Almost all of them were engineering students, and groups like Women in Engineering aim to help their legacy to live on.