VICTORIA B.C. – B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver released the following statement on the this year’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women:
“Today marks 30 years since 14 women were killed in a massacre at École Polytechnique in Montreal,” Weaver said. “That day has been forever implanted in my mind. I was near the McGill University Hospital when I heard many ambulances arriving there. It was on the way home that I heard the tragic news on the radio.”
“This proclaimed ‘antifeminist’ massacre is a horrific reminder that gender-based violence still exists in Canada and around the world.
“More than half of women in BC have experienced physical or sexual violence after the age of 16. Every year in BC, there are more than 60,000 physical or sexual assaults against women–more than 1,000 every week.
“As of 2010, there were 582 known reports of missing or murdered Indigenous women in Canada with BC recording more than any other province.
“Violence against women, trans, gender-diverse, and Two-Spirit people is one of the most widespread, persistent, and devastating human rights violations today.
“As we remember the Montreal massacre, it’s a stark reminder that we can never stop advocating for survivors of gender-based violence. We cannot forget.”
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