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Day of Remembrance Luncheon Emotional Event
This MFL Women's Committee event was once again sold out.
The MFL Women's committee has, for many years, held a luncheon to commemorate the Montreal Massacre. The luncheon was sold out again this year, as it has been for the last several years.
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In 1989 a man with a gun, who blamed his own failures and inadequacies on women, went to Montreal's École Polytechnique to take his revenge. He proceeded to separate the men from the women. After telling the men that they could leave, this man then went on a 45 minute rampage of violence. In the end, 27 people were injured, and 14 young women between the ages of 21 and 31 were killed.
In 1991 the Federal Government declared December 6 to be a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Since then, people across the country have come together each December 6 to mourn and remember, but also to bring attention to the violence, which continues unabated.
As a part of the luncheon program, 14 candles were carried in a procession by members of unions, both men and women, and placed in front of pictures on the 14 slain women from Montreal. As the candles were being carried, the names and stories of each of the 14 women were read out, one by one. This is very powerful and moving. By telling their stories those 14 women became real.
A 15th candle was carried out by MFL President Darlene Dziewit (left), and was placed before the names of the seven Manitoba women who died by violence in the last year. There are three more suspicious deaths currently being investigated, but due to the ongoing police confidential investigations these women could not be named.
Each year the luncheon holds a fundraiser and designates an organization as the recipient of the money. In past years various womens' shelters have been the recipients. This year the silent auction raised $1000 for Sage House, which is a part of Mount Carmel Clinic.
Sage House employees are members of CUPE. They assist women in crisis, and particularly women who are sex trade workers. These women are among the most at risk in Manitoba. They are routinely the victims of violence.
Most unions send people to the MFL Day of Remembrance luncheon, along with community activists and a number of Manitoba cabinet ministers and MLAs. Several ministers and a number of MLAs attended this years luncheon. Nancy Allan, the Minister of Labour and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women spoke at the event and presented a Proclamation to Committee Chair Barb Jones (left).
The Keynote speaker at the December 6 luncheon was Gloria Enns, Program Manager at Sage House. Gloria spoke eloquently. Her stories about our poorest communities and women who have been murdered were shocking, more so because they were delivered in ordinary, everyday language.
The Day of Remembrance is incredibly moving and emotional. It would be easy to simply see the problem as too big to change. What makes it a positive force is that the issue of violence against women and their children is put in the spotlight and that we take action to end the violence.