Statement by Andrea Horwath on National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

Twenty-seven years ago today, the lives of fourteen women were cut painfully short at l’École Polytechnique in Montreal, in a hateful act of violence against women. 

Ontario’s New Democrats, alongside all Canadians, mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women by mourning and honouring Geneviève Bergeron, Helene Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, and Annie Turcotte. 

Today in Canada, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls reminds us that the threat of violence and death remains all too real for many, especially amongst marginalized populations. And around the world – even close to home – there are those that would strip women of the rights they have struggled to secure in years past.

Ontarians must work together to create a province where women and girls are respected, safe from harm, and given every opportunity to succeed. And we must create a society where victims of violence feel safe, and believed, when they come forward, rather than facing further victimization.

Ontario’s New Democrats are committed to bringing about an end to violence against women, and to ensuring that the victims of violence are supported.

Let’s work together to build an Ontario for everyone – where women and girls are respected, safe, and supported.