Mr. Speaker, on December 6, 1989, Canadians and the whole world realized the seriousness of the problem of violence against women when 14 young women were killed at Montreal's École Polytechnique. These young Canadians were targeted simply because they happened to be women, which is horrifying but nevertheless true.
This national tragedy galvanized all Canadians into taking action about the problem of gender-based violence. Canadians have learned a lesson from this tragedy. Initially, they suffered a deep shock and experienced tremendous sadness. Then they became convinced that we had to put an end to this violence.
We also honoured the memory of these young women by taking action and by working together to put an end to gender-based violence.
The solutions to eliminate this problem require an effort from all partners within the community. They must work together to bring about real changes. Today, I invite—