“Today, we remember the 14 young women whose lives were stolen at Polytechnique Montréal 36 years ago. Their names, and the promise of the futures they never had the chance to live, remain a solemn reminder of the devastating toll of gender-based violence.

The horror of December 6, 1989, was an attack on women and the values of equality, dignity, and respect that define who we are as Canadians. It compels us, year after year, to confront gender-based violence wherever it persists and to match remembrance with responsibility.

To that end, our government is taking concrete actions to protect Canadians from gun violence, including gender-based violence, in communities across the country. We are working to reinforce firearms restrictions for individuals who engage in violence against intimate partners or family members. We are restricting conditional sentences for those convicted of sexual assault – ensuring these offenders serve their sentence behind bars, not out in the community. We have invested in efforts to raise awareness about ‘red flag’ laws to help protect people from gun violence, including gender-based violence, and we are providing stable, ongoing funding of $660.5 million over five years to ensure sustained progress toward equality and safety for women and girls. Through the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, we are working with provinces and territories to support victims and strengthen violence prevention, tailored to the specific needs of each jurisdiction. We are also moving forward on responding to the Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. There remains much more to do, and our government will remain relentlessly focused on preventing gender-based violence and supporting the victims of these crimes.

As we mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, we honour the victims of Polytechnique Montréal and all those whose lives have been changed forever by gender-based violence. We reaffirm our responsibility – as a government and as a country – to build a safer, stronger Canada for everyone.”