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National Day of Remembrance & Action on Violence Against Women
On December 6, 1989, an armed man walked into an Engineering class at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal. After he forced the men to leave, he said he hated feminists and started shooting the women in the class. Then he moved on and began shooting women throughout the school. At the end of his rampage, he had killed 14 women and himself.
This man believed that women were responsible for his failure to gain entrance to the school. He believed that feminists ruined his chances because of affirmative action in universities.
In response to such acts of violence and their relationship to everyday sexism, Canada established December 6 as the National Day of Remembrance & Action on Violence Against Women.
December 6 not only marks the anniversary of the massacre, but it reminds us that violence against women continues in Canada and around the world. As a day of action, it prompts us to take steps to end violence against women.
December 6 at UBC
Each year, we hold events on campus to mark December 6. Check back for dates, times, and locations of this year's December 6 memorial at UBC.
In 2009, UBC Engineering students created a video in honour of the twentieth anniversary memorial service for the 14 women killed at l'École Polytechnique Massacre de Montréal on December 6, 1989.
