Families of victims and dignitaries gathered at the Chalet du Mont-Royal on Tuesday evening to commemorate the December 6, 1989, anti-feminist attack at Polytechnique Montréal.
The event had a special connotation this year, as federal Bill C-21 on semi-automatic weapons control continues to make headlines. “The duty of memory is more relevant than ever,” said the president of the Memory Committee, Catherine Bergeron, whose sister Geneviève perished in the tragedy.
The ceremony took place soberly, without official speeches from dignitaries, with the exception of Mr.me Bergeron. Attendees were, however, asked to lay white roses in front of photos of the 14 deceased women.
At around 5:10 p.m., the time the first shots rang out 33 years earlier, 14 beams of light flashed in their honor, in the rain, piercing through thick fog. “The duty of remembrance is a source of action, and we know that we must work tirelessly to build an egalitarian society,” added Ms.me Bergeron at the moment of illumination.
According to Nathalie Provost, spokesperson for PolySeSouvient, the event is “particularly important this year, given the critical measure to prevent mass killings that is currently within our reach” — a reference to the federal government’s Bill C-21. .
Justin Trudeau rightly reiterated in a press scrum that his government would continue “to move forward with measures for more gun control”. He notably praised his handgun freeze, in effect since last October, as well as Bill C-21. The Liberal bill is making headlines again, since amendments were proposed to it just over a week ago.
Recall that last Saturday, hockey player Carey Price also revived the debate by criticizing an amendment aimed at banning certain powerful weapons in a post on Instagram. He also said he supported the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights (CCFR), which recently encouraged its members to purchase merchandise on its site with the promotional code “Poly”.
Political consensus
François Legault and Valérie Plante, also present at the event, both stressed in the press scrum the importance of greater control of firearms in the country. “It is important to limit weapons, to ban assault weapons,” said Mr. Legault. Mme Plante added for his part that such a measure is part of a package to be put in place “to reduce the number of feminicides” in Quebec.
“It is especially important to remind elected officials that the proposed measure to ban assault weapons currently under study is the culmination of more than three decades of struggle by the survivors and families of victims of the massacre at Polytechnique.” , said Nathalie Provost by email.
Maya Vallée, who has been studying at Polytechnique Montréal for over 4 years, says she never went to school on December 6. “I see this day as a reminder that we women are still not safe,” she said. I’m glad we have tougher laws to control guns, but Bill C-21 doesn’t change the primary meaning of this day. I hope the commemoration ceremonies will never stop. »