Winnipeg honours victims of Montreal Massacre with ceremony at legislature

The 30th anniversary of the Montreal Massacre was marked in Winnipeg bya special drumming performanceto honour the 14 women who were killed.

The ceremony, which included a photographof each woman along with a rose,tookplace at the base of the grand staircase inside the Manitoba Legislatureon Friday morning.

"As time marches on and the memory of that horrific day fades, it's important to remember the lives of 14 women who were murdered on Dec. 6, 1989 women who were specifically targeted and killed because they were women," said Cathy Cox, the minister responsible for status of women.

"Thirty years cannot diminish that loss, nor the impact this tragedy had on our nation.I urge Manitobans to take this opportunity to reflect on violence against women in our society, and remember the women and girls who face gender-based violence daily."

On that day in1989,a gunmanwalked into cole Polytechnique de Montral and fatally shot 13 engineering students and one university employee all women. Another 10 women were injured.

During the rampage,the man, who had failed to gain admission to the university, shouted, "You're all a bunch of feminists and I hate feminists!"

In 1991, Canada declared Dec. 6 of every year to be the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women and to remember those who died in 1989:

• Genevive Bergeron.
• Hlne Colgan.
• Nathalie Croteau.
• Barbara Daigneault.
• Anne-Marie Edward.
• Maud Haviernick.
• Maryse Laganire.
• Maryse Leclair.
• Anne-Marie Lemay.
• Sonia Pelletier.
• Michle Richard.
• Annie St-Arneault.
• Annie Turcotte.
• Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz.

Friday's ceremony in Winnipeg also honoured11 women who died as a result of violence in Manitoba this past year.

The North End Women's Centre's Buffalo Gals drum group performed.

Funding shortfalls

Kari Prawdzik, director of the Parkland Crisis Centre and Women's Shelter in Dauphin, made the 3-hour drive to Winnipeg for the ceremony.

"Today is the 30thanniversary andI think this is a very important event to attend," she said.

Officials from other shelters were also in attendance and though they come from different parts of the city or province, there was one thing they had in common funding shortfalls.

"Finances are definitely an issue. We haven't had an increase in funding in over 12 years,"Prawdziksaid about the Dauphinshelter, which serves the entire Parkland region.

"So we're trying to make ends meetthrough fundraising and community events, relying on the good people in our community to donate.

"Its getting tougher and tougher with the increase costs of living, food, the numbers of women and children that we're serving. It's getting very difficult."

As a result,Prawdzik's shelter has had madesubstantial cuts to the number of staff it employs.

That, in turn,has led to fewer services being provided than should be, as well as imposing a safety risk as fewer staff try to cope with the higher number of people struggling with addictions and mental health.

The facility is open 24/7 but only has 13 staff members "so we're pretty stretched,"Prawdziksaid.

It's a similar situation in WinnipegatWillow Place, an emergency shelter for women and their children leaving family violence situations.

Executive director Marcie Wood said the facility has cut back on staffing, forcing the shelter to "re-envision services" to ensure they are still meeting the needs of the clients.

More than 900 women and children access the shelter every year.Although it has just 17 beds, there are times the shelter has close to 40 women and children because no one is turned away.

"Each year we have to fundraise anywhere between $85,000 to $150,000 for our core operations," said Wood.

Even more would need to be raised in order to perform outreach in the community "which we know is beneficial and needed," she added.

Cox said she is new to the status of women portfolio but is "committed to meeting with all of those shelters."

She also promised that "good news, positive news is on the horizon."

'All lives matter'

Later on Friday, a group of people gathered on the steps of the Manitoba Legislature to raise awareness about the 231calls for justice that came out of the nationalinquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

Sue Caribou from Pukatawagan First Nation says seven members of her family were murdered, including her parents. Two are still missing.

She says she is well acquainted with loss and grief because of violence. Honouring the lives of the massacred women in Montreal, she doesn't want government officials here to forget the victim's families.

"I have been living this life for a long time since I was a child. I pray that we get funding to continue to make awareness for our loved ones. I don't want thesystem to give up on the missing and murdered families," Caribou said.

The event was also attended by Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, who isthe co-chair of the province's missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls coalition, and who also works with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimanikak.

"We felt that today was a really important day to honour the women who were massacred in Montreal, but also to create awareness on the violence that's continuing," she said.

"All lives matter and it's important to honour those lives that were lost in that Montreal Massacre, but also to continue to raise awareness on the need for ending violence against all women and girls."

That includes supporting shelters for women, childrenand LGBTQpeople in First Nations communities, she said

The University of Manitoba also marked the occasion with a candlelight vigil, inviting Ruth Eden, the province's assistant deputy minister of infrastructure, to be one of the speakers.

Eden, who was the first female engineer to work in the province, said she's pursuing a career the women studying at cole Polytechniquecould not.

"On days like today, I can't help but wonder what the 14 women would've accomplished with their careers and the difference they would make in society. I have no doubt each and every one of them would've made a difference," she said.

'Huge commitment' to special committee

Cox also said much progress is being made with the province'sgender-based violence cabinet committee.

It's been more than two years since Manitoba's Progressive Conservative governmentpromised in theNovember 2017 throne speechthat it wastaking action against gender-based violence by establishing the special cabinet committee.

However it took another year before the seven-member group assigned to collaborate across government departments to meet the needs of Manitobans in critical situations actuallymet.

And even then,it lasted half an hour and two members were no-shows,according to documents obtained by CBC News.

On Friday, Cox was asked about the status of the committee and said she believes it has now met four times and will meet againsometime this month.

She assured reporters "there is a huge commitment" on the part of committee members and that many good things are already happening.

Cox pointed to thegovernment's announcement in early November of$2.4 million to expand walk-inservices and specialized trauma counselling toKlinic Community Health Centre andthe Laurel Centre as something that was "aresult of sitting around that committee."

"When you sit around that table and have ability to talk to other ministers ministers of health, ministers of social services or family services it gives them that insight into what is really needed in our province to ensure we address issues that women are facing," she said.

Cox said she recently returned from a national meeting of ministers responsible for the status of women and the Manitoba committee is "a model that other provinces are now looking at."

Information about support and services for women can be found hereon the government website, while information about Manitoba Victim Services can be found here.

Confidential help is also available any timeat 1-877-977-0007 (toll free).