OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 6, 2025 /CNW/ - The Honourable Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism), issued the following statement today on the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women: 

"December 6, 1989, is a day that forever changed our country. Today marks 36 years since 14 young women lost their lives at École Polytechnique Montréal in a hateful act targeting women that left a lasting scar on our nation. On this day, we recognize and mourn them.

Their names are Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène 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.

They were students, daughters, sisters, friends and colleagues—each with dreams, talents and a future ahead of them. Today we say their names and remember them.

Thirty-six years later, their impact endures. Their stories continue to be felt in every corner of Canada, reminding us not only of the devastating cost of gender-based violence, but of our collective responsibility to address it. 

We cannot change what happened on that tragic day, but we can—and we must—continue to act. Gender-based violence still devastates families and communities across Canada. Every 48 hours, a woman or girl in Canada is killed in an act of gender-based violence. In 2024 alone, 240 women and girls were murdered—a heartbreaking 54% increase compared to before the pandemic.

While anyone can be a victim or survivor of gender-based violence, some populations are more at risk or underserved when it occurs.

That is why the federal government continues to take action, by supporting victims and survivors, addressing the root causes of violence, and strengthening long-term prevention efforts.

Through the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence—now in its third year—we are working with provinces, territories, Indigenous partners, victims and survivors, and experts to strengthen prevention, improve supports, and create lasting change.

Budget 2025 commits new, long-term investments in safety, prevention, survivor support, and community-led solutions.

As we remember the 14 women who lost their lives, I invite all Canadians to be part of the solution: listen to victims and survivors, learn to recognize the signs of gender-based violence, notice what is happening around you—at home, in your school, in your workplace and in your community—and speak up when you see harm. Together, we can honour their memory by challenging harmful norms and creating a safe future for everyone."  

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