National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
Genre	Violence against women
Date(s)	December 6
Frequency	Annually
Location(s)	Canada
Years active	25
Inaugurated	1991 by the Parliament of Canada
Organized by	Parliament of Canada
Website
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women at Status of Women Canada

The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, also known informally as White Ribbon Day, is a day commemorated in Canada each December 6, the anniversary of the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre, in which armed student Marc Lépine murdered fourteen women and injured ten others in the name of "fighting feminism". The commemoration date was established by the Parliament of Canada in 1991. The legislation was introduced in the House of Commons as a private member's bill by Dawn Black, Member of Parliament for New Westminster-Burnaby, British Columbia, and received all-party support.

Canadian flags on all federal buildings – including the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario – are flown at half-mast on December 6. Canadians are encouraged to observe a minute of silence on December 6 and to wear a white ribbon (or a purple ribbon) as a commitment to end violence against women.

The victims of the 1989 massacre were Geneviève Bergeron, 21; Hélène Colgan, 23; Nathalie Croteau, 23; Barbara Daigneault, 22; Anne-Marie Edward, 21; Maud Haviernick, 29; Barbara Klueznick, 31; Maryse Laganière, 25; Maryse Leclair, 23; Anne-Marie Lemay, 22; Sonia Pelletier, 23; Michèle Richard, 21; Anne St-Arneault, 23; and Annie Turcotte, 21.

In response to the tragic event, many Canadians have worked hard to establish memorial sites all across the country, to ensure that people will become more aware of the incident that occurred, to force society in recognizing how often violence occurs towards women, and to appreciate the lives of the women who were killed.

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