SUDBURY – A vigil marking the 30th anniversary of the shootings at Ecole Polytechnique and discussion about whether progress has been made on the issue of violence against women took place in Sudbury on Friday.
The shooting took the lives of 14 women, motivated simply by their gender.
Marlene Gorman, YWCA Sudbury Executive Director, says she was around the same age as these women in 1989 and says she can't help but think of what their lives would look like if they were still alive.
"They would have been well established in engineering careers. They would have had families… some of them lucky to be grandmothers," said Gorman.
She says the YWCA Women and Children Shelter in Sudbury has 32 beds and they are often full. Every day, the shelter sees women who are victims of violence, and Gorman says when it comes to the topic, not much has changed in 30 years.
"We continue to reinforce gender stereotypes that perpetuate violence against women. We haven't implemented a national action plan to eliminate violence against women. We have no increased funding to these shelters or other women's services," she explained.
At the Sudbury Women's Centre, local organizations that work with women recognized Canada's National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
Angela St. Jacques is a volunteer and says she knows firsthand what many women are facing every day.
"I grew up in it. I endured it as an adult my whole life. I got out of it. It's hard, it’s a lot of work and I just want to be here to support the women and show them that you can escape it. You can get out of it and gave a beautiful amazing life," said St. Jacques.
The organizations that participated in the event want women to know there is help out there and to the government, they say it's time for a change.
