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| Shown here participating in the candle lighting ceremony are engineering students: Jenna Cock, fourth year Industrial; Emmy Schnepf, third year Mechanical, VP DEUS Communications; Elizabeth MacCormack, Executive Director, Dalhousie Women's Centre (DWC) and Alyaa Abouzied, fourth year Electrical. View Gallery |
A solemn candlelight ceremony on Dec. 6 marked the 16th year since the 1989 Montreal Massacre. At L'Ecole Polytechnique, 14 women were killed and many others injured, when a disturbed gunman opened fire shouting, "I hate feminists." The incident served as a wake-up call to all women who were entering into professions or areas of endeavor that were outside the traditional expectations; as well as for all women who lived in fear of spousal and other abuse. This ceremony was a tribute to the 14 women, as well as a reminder of the need to stop violence toward women and all humanity.
The ceremony is organized each year by students in the Dalhousie Sexton Engineering Undergraduate Society (DSEUS) with participation from the Dalhousie School of Nursing and the Dalhousie Women's Centre (DWC).
| The fourteen women remembered: |
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| Genevive Bergeron Genevive, 21 years old, was a 2nd year scholarship student in civil engineering. |
| HŽlne Colgan Helene, 23 years old, was in her final year of mechanical engineering and planned to take her master's degree. |
| Nathalie Croteau Nathalie, 23 years old, was in her final year of mechanical engineering. |
| Barbara Daigneault Barbara, 22 years old, was in her final year of mechanical engineering and held a teaching assistantship. |
| Anne-Marie Edward Anne-Marie, 21 years old, was a 1st year chemical engineering student. |
| Maryse Leclair Maryse, 23 years old, was a 4th year student in engineering materials. |
| Maud Haviernick Maud, 29 years old, was a 2nd year student in engineering materials, a branch of metallurgy, and a graduate in environmental design. |
| Anne-Marie Lemay Anne-Marie, 22 years old, was a 4th year student in mechanical engineering. |
| Sonia Pelletier Sonia, 23 years old, was to graduate the next day in mechanical engineering. She was awarded a degree posthumously. |
| Michle Richard Michele, 21 years old, was a 2nd year student in engineering materials. |
| Annie St-Arneault Annie, 23 years old, was a mechanical engineering student. |
| Annie Turcotte Annie, 21 years old, was a first year student in engineering materials. |
| Maryse Laganire Maryse, 25 years old, worked in the budget department of Ecole Polytechnique. |
| Barbara Klucznik Barbara, 31 years old, was a Nursing student, who was in the Polytechnique cafeteria with her husband - as it was the best place on campus to eat. |
The ceremony took place in the Sexton Campus Student Alumni Lounge and adjoining courtyard where a commemorative tree and plaque are located. Emmy Schnepf, VP Communications for the Dalhousie Sexton Engineering Undergraduate Society, (DEUS) and a Mechanical Engineering student, led the ceremony.
Elizabeth MacCormack, Executive Director of the DWC, spoke of how this event shaped her life, and the lives of women across the country. Elizabeth was a student at McGill at the time. "It was a usual day for a university, classes were ending, exams were starting, and I, like my friends, were getting ready to go home for the holidays. The same kind of day as yesterday, today, tomorrow ? and then my mother called to make sure I was still alive..."
The 12 engineering students were each represented by a Dal engineering student. As one of the women, Barbara Klucznik, was a nursing student, Janelle Thompson, President of the Dalhousie Nursing Society, lit a candle and placed a rose in her memory.
Barbara Labecki, department secretary for Civil and Resource Engineering, lit a candle in memory of Maryse Laganiere, who worked in the Finance Office at Ecole Polytechnique. Barbara was working here when the tragedy occurred. "Everyone was just wandering around in a daze when they heard the news, many not wanting to go home" she said. "What amazed me was that during this year's ceremony, the emotions that arose were the same as those of 16 years ago when it happened."
Dean Josh Leon recited a short prayer. He too had been at Polytechnique on that day. "I was going home and saw several police cars charging up the hill to the School. My phone rang for the rest of the evening, as people called to see if I was alright. The School was traumatized for several years."
As Elizabeth said, "The Montreal Massacre is about ALL of us, our dreams, our hopes: who we want to be as a community, as a people. These women represented the best of who we are and can be. They deserve to be remembered for paying the ultimate sacrifice for what we take for granted and do every day."
Parliament has declared December 6th as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.