Mr. Speaker, 36 years ago our country was irrevocably shaken by a horrific act of gender-based violence. On December 6, 1989, a gunman entered École Polytechnique in Montreal, forced women and men apart, and then launched a violent shooting, murdering 14 young women and injuring 13 others, solely because they were women.
As we mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, we recognize and mourn the young women whose lives were stolen at École Polytechnique by an act of misogynistic hate that changed us all forever. We remember Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, Annie Turcotte and Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz.
These brilliant women were daughters, sisters and friends, and they were students with bright futures, potential and dreams that were never given the chance to be realized. Thirty-six years later, their impact endures. Their stories continue to be felt in every corner of Canada, reminding us not only of the devastating cost of gender-based violence but also of our collective responsibility to confront it.
Of course, we honour the story and courage of our fellow colleague, the Secretary of State for Nature, who survived this horrific act and since then has dedicated herself to advocacy and public service. This is very personal to me as well, since I too was an engineering student.
In Canada, a woman or girl is killed in an act of gender-based violence every 48 hours. That is 240 women and girls murdered in 2024. Most of these gender-related murders were committed by men they knew, an intimate partner or a family member. I too know what this is like, since I lost a cousin to gender-based violence. She was brutally murdered and stabbed 85 times with a kitchen knife and was found by another of my cousins.
The toll of gender-based violence extends far beyond tragic deaths. Survivors face physical, emotional and financial harm that can last a lifetime. Families and communities are left to cope with trauma and loss, and society bears the costs of health care, social services and the justice system. Indigenous women, women of colour, women with disabilities and 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals face these dangers at disproportionately higher rates. All too often, when they do come forward, they are not believed and they continue to face barriers to justice.
Gender-based violence is not just a personal tragedy. It is a social crisis that weakens the very fabric of our communities. That is why we must do more than just remember.
We must act. We must create a Canada where every woman and girl can live free from fear, where their potential is never limited by violence and where justice is real and immediate. That is what we owe to every woman and girl in this country, like my cousin. To build a safe and prosperous society, we must continue to work together at all levels of government to end gender-based violence.
This work includes implementing the national action plan to end gender-based violence, through which we have invested over half a billion dollars to prevent violence, support survivors and strengthen community-based organizations on the ground to ensure that they are responding to gender-based violence in a timely manner. The plan provides targeted funding and resources to address the unique needs of survivors, including indigenous women and girls, racialized communities, and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities as well. It supports programs that prevent violence before it occurs. It helps survivors access the services they need.
Through these coordinated efforts, we are taking meaningful steps to create a Canada where every woman and girl can live free from fear and reach their full potential. Prevention is only part of the equation; survivors must also be able to rely on a justice system that is fair, accessible and trauma-informed. That is why we will take steps to further protect victims of intimate partner violence, ensuring that survivors are supported and not revictimized when they seek justice.
There is always more work to be done. We will continue to support survivors, remove barriers in the justice system and build a Canada where safety, dignity and justice are not privileges but guaranteed rights for all women and girls.
By working hand in hand with survivors, advocates and communities, we, and that is all members of the chamber, can build a future where every woman and girl can live free from fear. Ending gender-based violence requires all of us, united in a belief that every woman deserves safety, dignity and the ability to thrive. I think about my daughter Cassidy, who is 10 years old, every single day while I stand here in the chamber.
Therefore, as we reflect on that shared responsibility, let us carry the names of these 14 women forward as a reminder of what we must never give up and why our commitment to ending gender-based violence must remain unchanging.
We honour the women who came before us whose courage, stories and lived experience created the space for these conversations to exist, survivors whose voices shifted public attitudes and broke barriers. We remember the lives that were cut short, the stories that were never told and the survivors who, out of fear, have not yet spoken, as well as those who are still waiting for a safe moment to do so.
Gender-based violence is not a chapter of our past; it is a persistent and pervasive reality in Canada. It remains woven into the story of our country, and it demands urgent action.
Therefore, today we recommit ourselves to this work. We stand with survivors. We honour their strength and ensure that their voices and stories are never forgotten, but championed, as we continue to fight for change, equality and justice.