(OTTAWA) - The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women marks the anniversary of the 1989 murders of 14 women at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal. Today, the Green Party of Canada commemorates those lives, and the lives of all women lost to acts of gender-based violence.
“Today is a day to take action; gender-based violence is not just a women’s issue, it’s everyone’s concern. I encourage everyone to speak up about violence in your community, and promote women’s economic and political equality,” said Elizabeth May, Green Party Leader and MP (Saanich - Gulf Islands).
May continued, “According to the Status of Women Canada, women are 11 times more likely than men to be victims of sexual offences. Additionally, we know that over 1,200 Aboriginal women and girls have been murdered or gone missing in Canada in recent decades, a shocking number that reinforces the systemic roots of this crisis.”
“In an internal report prepared by Status of Women Canada and obtained by CBC News under the Access to Information Act and released during the election period, violence against women is on the rise. Whether on university campuses, where the recent news is very disturbing, or the evidence of serial killers targeting Indigenous women, the acceptance of sexist comments, particularly in social media, we must all do our part by speaking out and demanding we take the issue of violence against women seriously. We need a national strategy to end violence against women.”
The Green Party encourages building better policies and programs to address sexism across society, and fully supports launching an inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women. “This is a tragedy that has gone on for too long and we are pleased the new administration has committed to the long-overdue inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women," concluded May.