Today, the Official Opposition critic for Women Nicole Sarauer made the following statement to mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women:
“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 Kluznick-Widajewicz. These are the women who, on December 6, 1989, at the École Polytechnique in Montreal, were shot and killed because they were women.
“Now, every year, on the anniversary of this tragic event, we mark Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. We do this - and we wear white ribbons and the rose buttons - not just to remember those women who lost their lives but to collectively commit to bringing an end to the reality that women in our country are still not free from gender based violence.
“It is a sobering fact that Saskatchewan has the second highest rate of violence against women in Canada. Tragically, our province also has the highest rates of women desperately seeking help through admission to domestic abuse shelters.
“By working together, we can and must curb these patterns of violence and bring an end to violence against women in our own communities.
“Today, let us all take the time to remember those who have lost their lives to gender based violence and every day, let us commit to continue fighting to make our communities, our province, and our country places that are free from violence against women.”