On December 6th, 1989, a man walked into the E’cole Polytechnique in Montreal, armed with a knife and a rifle, and murdered fourteen women, simply for being women.
It has been dubbed the Montreal Massacre, and is one of the worst cases of gendered violence in Canada’s history.
Carol Lynn Gamblin with the Charlotte County Abuse Prevention Network says there have been many incidents of gendered violence since the Montreal massacre, and we need to stop being “polite Canadians”.
“That attitude, that mindset of what we’re going to do. We’re going to be quiet. We’re going to be polite. We’re going to pretend the screaming we’re hearing as we walk down the sidewalk, that must be on tv, or that must be some people having a good, healthy vent.”
Gamblin says that’s what people are trying to persuade themselves, “That it’s not serious, that we should not get involved, that it’s not our place.”
The Outreach Coordinator tells us this is what the CCAPN is trying to dissuade the general public from thinking because bystanders can save lives.
“It may be impolite, and it may be inconvenient, but things need to be said, things need to be done. There has to be intervention.”
Gamblin says if you come across a violent situation, especially with domestic abuse, you also need to keep yourself safe.
She says rather than knocking on someone’s door, it may be better to call the RCMP and make them aware of what is happening.
We asked Gamblin why the victims of the Montreal Massacre need to be remembered in a national holiday each year, “Prior to 1989, when the tragedy occurred, there certainly had been gendered violence, there had been violence against women, women targeted just because they were women. But this Massacre just brought such focus on violence against women, historically.”
Gamblin tells us its important these events are not hidden away and we are able to face them.
“We have Rememberance Day, we have days to mark the accidents that have happened in the workplace, because that’s significant, because it doesn’t have to happen. Because it is a tragedy. So it’s important to remember, and it’s also important to look forward and move forward.”
The Charlotte County Abuse Prevention Network will be hosting a free public event at NBCC in Saint Andrews, on Thursday, December 6th, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.
If you are a woman in a violent situation, or are facing gendered violence or domestic abuse, you can call the CCAPN at 506-469-5544.