Remembering the women of the Montreal Polytechnique massacre

By Staff The Canadian Press

WATCH: December 6, marks the 34th anniversary of the École Polytechnique massacre when 14 women at the engineering school were killed by a gunman in an anti-feminist attack. Several tributes were being held in Montreal to honour the memory of the lives lost and all those impacted by the tragedy. Global's Brayden Jagger Haines reports.

A small group of Polytechnique Montreal students and administrators gathered on the school’s campus Wednesdy morning to commemorate the women whose lives were cut short in the anti-feminist attack exactly 34 years today.

Ceremony participants laid flowers at a granite memorial plaque bearing the names of the 14 massacre victims — 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.

A minute of silence followed.

Polytechnique Montreal president Maud Cohen says over the years, this day has become really a symbol for the memories of these young ladies who lost their lives.

She adds that the anniversary also serves as a reminder of the importance of making the school — and society as a whole — “as welcoming as it should be for young ladies, but everyone that aspires to become an engineer.”

For Polytechnique Montréal energy engineering student Béatrice Cyr, the anniversary is an occasion to reflect on social progress and the women before her who were denied the opportunities and sense of security she has enjoyed in her field.

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Cyr says when it comes to the anniversary, it’s very heavy to think about how the 14 massacre victims did not have the chance she has had to pursue her passion and to pursue engineering.

More tributes are planned throughout the day.