Battlefords Interval House, in collaboration with Catholic Family Services of the Battlefords, set up a booth at Discovery Co-op Mall in alignment with the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women on Dec. 6. (Kenneth Cheung/ battlefordsNOW staff)

By Kenneth Cheung

DEC. 6,1989

35 years later: Battlefords remembers the Montreal massacre victims and confronts gender-based violence

Dec 6, 2024 | 5:00 PM

Genevieve Bergeron, Helene Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik Widajewicz, Maryse Laganiere, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michele Richard, Annie St-Arneault and Annie Turcotte.

These 14 names belonged to the women who were murdered in the École Polytechnique massacre (Montreal massacre) on Dec. 6, 1989.

35 years later, on the same day but thousands of kilometres away, representatives of the Battlefords Interval House and Catholic Family Services of the Battlefords gathered to commemorate the fallen souls and raise awareness of violence against women.

“I remember thinking as a child back then, these women were killed just because they were women. He (the perpetrator) didn’t like that they were breaking barriers in a man’s profession, which was engineering back then,” Debbie Kovalsky, Interval House executive director, recalled.

The perpetrator was Marc Lépine, 25, armed with a semi-automatic rifle and a hunting knife, who began his attack at the École Polytechnique by separating male and female students and ordering the men to leave.

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He killed six women in one room, then moved through hallways for nearly 20 minutes, targeting more women in the cafeteria and a classroom. In total, he wounded more students and killed eight more women before fatally shooting himself.

“And that happens a lot, even locally, and we have had women in our shelter who have died after leaving the shelter by the hands of their abuser. So it doesn’t stop… It has never ended.”

In 2022, 184 women and girls were violently killed, primarily by men, meaning that one woman or girl is killed every 48 hours, a report from the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability reveals.

(Photos: The Canadian Press / Design: CBC)

(Kenneth Cheung/ battlefordsNOW staff)

Understanding that this pressing reality is not something that could be fixed soon, Kovalsky noted that the best thing everyone can do is to ‘talk about it.’

“You don’t have to be afraid of it. It’s a conversation that used to be taboo, right? It was all behind closed doors. People would hit women…behind closed doors. And it’s a reality, and we need to talk about it so that we can help bring an end to it,” she said.

As some may worry that asking victims to share their experiences could cause further harm, she pointed out that there is ‘no wrong way.’

“Even if you do approach it and you think it comes out wrong, just reassure the person that you’re only doing this for their good intention. You don’t mean to be harming them, and if they feel you’ve gone too far and you’re not being a friend, you can suggest even going together to a counsellor to help work out the relationship that you’re only looking out for their best interests.”

Laurie Lastowsky and Debbie Kovalsky. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW staff)

Laurie Lastowsky, a counsellor at Catholic Family Services, pointed out that it is all about providing a safe space for victims and letting them know that ‘you are here for them.’

“Maybe even saying, ‘Well, I was at this thing today, and I heard about violence against women, and it really bothered me. How do you feel about it?’ And that could provide an opening for them to talk about it,” Lastowsky explained.

As this day is the 35th anniversary of the tragic event, it also marks the 33 years since Parliament established Dec. 6 as the annual National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada in 1991.

“Any instances of gender-based violence are unacceptable, and our government is committed to continue investing in prevention, intervention and accountability for perpetrators of such acts,” said Justice Minister and Attorney General Tim McLeod in a news release.

“As a province, we must all work toward a society that does not tolerate any form of gender-based violence to ensure a safe future for women and girls.”

Looking ahead, both agree that society is making progress in addressing gender-based violence. However, Lastowsky believes much more must be done to raise awareness and combat the alarming reality.

“I don’t think that there’s ever enough awareness, as long as there’s going to be violence against women, violence against people because of their gender. If that’s still happening, then there’s not enough awareness,” she stated.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com