Tag Archives: National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women

Never Again: Canada’s unions mark December 6 with call to end gender-based violence

Canada’s unions are marking the 34th anniversary of the attack at École Polytechnique in Montreal by urging the federal government to take concrete steps to prevent and address gender-based violence in Canada. This must include implementing ILO Convention 190 (ILO C-190), the first international standard of its kind, that acknowledges the universal right to a world of work free from violence and harassment; integrating Indigenous rights and justice into practices and policies by implementing the Calls to Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing Murdered Indigenous Women Girls and Two Spirit People (MMIWG); and, implementing the recommendations of the Mass Casualty Commission report, which was released earlier this year.

On December 6, 1989, a male gunman targeted and shot several women students at l’École Polytechnique in Montreal. 14 women died, and 10 others were injured. Every year, on December 6, Canada’s unions join organizations across the country in marking the day, by calling for necessary action to end gender-based violence and femicide.

“We remember those lost and injured that day, targeted because they were women. We also mark December 6, by reaffirming our commitment to act against gender-based violence. We owe it to the memory of those victims, and to everyone lost or injured because of gender-based violence since then, to take decisive action and put an end to this injustice,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “The December 6 murders happened over three decades ago, and yet we’re still fighting for proper protections against gender-based violence. At work, women and gender-diverse workers are more likely to be the targets of violent behaviour, particularly by third parties like clients, customers or patients. Every worker deserves to be safe at work, which is why it’s critical that the federal government collaborate with unions and employers to implement ILO C-190.”

ILO C-190 establishes a clear framework for ending violence and harassment in the world of work, and makes governments accountable for preventing and addressing violence at work. The federal government of Canada ratified ILO C-190 earlier this year but has yet to develop a plan for implementation. Meanwhile, incidents of workplace violence perpetrated against women and gender-diverse workers continue to increase.

Femicide is on the rise: on average, one woman or girl is killed every two days in Canada. We’ve also seen a sharp increase in incidents of misogynist, transphobic and homophobic hate. The alarming proliferation of anti-feminist and anti-trans disinformation online is emboldening perpetrators to commit violence offline. Earlier this year, at the University of Waterloo, a male former student targeted and attacked a woman associate-professor in a gender studies class. Two students were also seriously injured in the attack.

Workers with multiple and intersecting identities, like Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people, face especially high rates of gender-based violence. This is why it’s critical that any government plan aimed at addressing gender-based violence also include measures to implement the MMIWG inquiry calls to justice.

“Gender-based violence is a violation of human rights, and refusing to act to end it is not an option. Everyone deserves to be safe at work, and that includes putting an end to gender-based violence in the world of work. But we must be intentional in the way we do this work, and any policy aimed at addressing gender-based violence must adequately reflect intersectional experiences,” said Siobhán Vipond, CLC Executive Vice-President. “It is our duty to honour the memory of those we’ve lost, and to honour those who survived, by ending gender-based violence. For over thirty years, Canada’s unions have called for the prevention and elimination of all forms of gender-based violence, and we remain steadfast in our commitment.”

Canada’s unions are ready to get to work, alongside governments and employers, to ensure workers in every sector and every jurisdiction are safe at work, so no one is left behind.

In memoriam

Geneviève Bergeron

Hélène Colgan

Nathalie Croteau

Barbara Daigneault

Anne-Marie Edward

Maud Haviernick

Barbara Klucznik Widajewicz

Maryse Laganière

Maryse Leclair

Anne-Marie Lemay

Sonia Pelletier

Michèle Richard

Annie St-Arneault

Annie Turcotte

A version of this article was first posted on the CLC website.

Gender-based violence still a critical issue

On December 6, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, we remember the 14 women whose lives were stolen at the École Polytechnique in Montreal. And though it was 33 years ago, we still see a shocking lack of protection for the woman who is killed by her intimate partner every six days in Canada or the Indigenous women who are killed at a rate of nearly seven times that of non-Indigenous women.

The workplace is no exception when it comes to gender-based violence. A recent national survey by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) found that half of Canadian women experienced workplace sexual harassment, and almost one-third report having experienced non-consensual sexual touching (a type of sexual assault) in the workplace. Almost 90% of women in Canada use strategies to avoid unwanted sexual advances in the workplace, including avoiding specific people and altering the way that they dress.

Women, Two-Spirit, trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming workers are more likely to work in public-facing jobs and are often at the front-line of third-party violence. This reality is also true for PSAC members – the largest numbers of women employed by the federal public service can be found in Employment and Social Development Canada, where the management and delivery of social programs and services is often public-facing. That’s why PSAC is proud to join our labour allies across Canada in signing on to the Canadian Labour Congress’ call to end gender-based violence at work.

In a time of escalating gender-based violence, unions are united in preventing and addressing all forms of violence and harassment in the workplace, and we expect employers to step up.

Paid universal domestic violence leave

Unions have successfully won paid domestic violence leave for federal employees across several provinces and territories — including in our own collective agreements — but more needs to be done for survivors working in other vulnerable sectors like health care, education and the hotel and service industry. PSAC also continues to fight for 10 paid days of universal domestic violence leave, so that all working people can access the support they need from their employers when they are trying to leave an abusive situation.

Learn more and take action

Read the CLC op ed on ending gender-based violence at work.
Learn more about how PSAC is fighting for mandatory, intersectional training to all employees on harassment, sexual harassment, and violence at work.
Find out how much progress has been made on the National Action Plan to address violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
Read PSAC member Bonnie Robichaud’s recent memoir of her eleven-year fight for justice, which was won in the Supreme Court of Canada.
Learn more about the results of the CLC’s National Survey on Harassment and Violence at work.

In memory of

Geneviève Bergeron
Hélène Colgan
Nathalie Croteau
Barbara Daigneault
Anne-Marie Edward
Maud Haviernick
Barbara Klucznik Widajewicz
Maryse Laganière
Maryse Leclair
Anne-Marie Lemay
Sonia Pelletier
Michèle Richard
Annie St-Arneault
Annie Turcotte

A version of this article was first posted on the PSAC website.

National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women: Time for concrete action to end gender-based violence

On December 6, 1989, 14 young women were killed at l’École Polytechnique in Montreal simply for being women.

Since then, we have made gains in addressing gender-based violence, but almost 40 per cent of working women in Canada still experience violence in their homes, with ripple effects reaching the workplace and putting their jobs and co-workers at risk. Young, racialized and immigrant women, lesbian and bisexual women, trans and non-binary people, and women with disabilities experience higher rates of harassment and violence, and face more barriers in accessing services and support. Meanwhile, Indigenous women are still waiting for the federal government to take action in response to the Calls for Justice of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

All of this continues to be amplified by repeated lockdowns and isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Paid universal domestic violence leave

Unions have successfully won paid domestic violence leave for federal employees across several provinces and territories, but more needs to be done for survivors working in other vulnerable sectors like health care, education and the hotel and service industry. PSAC also continues to fight for 10 paid days of universal domestic violence leave, so that all working people can access the support they need from their employers when they are trying to leave an abusive situation.

Sexual violence, harassment and misconduct in the federal workplace

Gender-based violence can also happen directly in the workplace. PSAC has been supporting and participating in the class-action lawsuit and ongoing external review on sexual misconduct and sexual harassment (including sexual violence) in Canada’s military. More than 18,000 people have already submitted claims to the class action, and current and former members of the Canadian Armed Forces and Department of Defence who experienced sexual harassment, assault, or discrimination can still submit their claim until January 24, 2022, under exceptional circumstances.

In honour of the 14 women whose lives were stolen on December 6, 1989, and the thousands of other women, girls, LGBTQ2+ and gender-diverse people who deserve safety and justice, it is time to take concrete action to end gender-based violence once and for all.

What you can do:

If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse anywhere in Canada, visit ShelterSafe to find a shelter nearby and its 24-hour emergency phone number, including those that have formal inclusivity policies around sexual orientations and gender identities;
Attend a webinar to learn more about International Labour Convention C-190, the first global treaty to recognize everyone’s right to work free from violence and harassment, and the impacts of gender-based harassment and violence on Canadian workers;
Demand that the federal government launch a National Action Plan on Violence Against Women
Join the call for 10 paid days of universal domestic violence leave;
Support the Native Women’s Association of Canada’s campaign to #AnswerTheCalls for Justice of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls;
Learn more through our fact-sheet on domestic violence and COVID-19.

In memory of

Geneviève Bergeron

Hélène Colgan

Nathalie Croteau

Barbara Daigneault

Anne-Marie Edward

Maud Haviernick

Barbara Klucznik Widajewicz

Maryse Laganière

Maryse Leclair

Anne-Marie Lemay

Sonia Pelletier

Michèle Richard

Annie St-Arneault

Annie Turcotte

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

To commemorate the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women, the Canadian flag flying at the CIU National Office, in Ottawa, will be flown at half-mast from sunrise to sunset on December 6.

PSAC recommits to eliminating all forms of gender-based violence

On National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, PSAC remembers the fourteen young women who were killed at l’École Polytechnique on December 6, 1989, because they were women, and today, PSAC also recommits to ending all forms of gender-based violence.

On this day, we remember

Geneviève Bergeron

Hélène Colgan

Nathalie Croteau

Barbara Daigneault

Anne-Marie Edward

Maud Haviernick

Barbara Klucznik Widajewicz

Maryse Laganière

Maryse Leclair

Anne-Marie Lemay

Sonia Pelletier

Michèle Richard

Annie St-Arneault

Annie Turcotte

In Canada today:

75,000 women and children seek shelter from violence and abuse each year;
Homicide rates are seven times higher for Indigenous women and girls than amongst non-Indigenous women and girls;
Immigrant women are more vulnerable due to economic dependence, language barriers and a lack of knowledge about community resources;
Trans women are almost twice as likely as cisgender women to experience gender-based violence in their lifetime;
Women with physical and cognitive impairments experience violence two to three times more often than women living without impairments.

COVID-19 makes it harder to fight gender-based violence. Job loss, food insecurity or the fear of contracting the virus can trigger domestic violence. Social isolation and quarantines make it harder to access shelters or sexual assault centres. Those living in rural, remote and northern regions, immigrants and refugees and Indigenous women continue to be the most vulnerable populations, and the pandemic is isolating them more than ever before.

The heightened risks caused by the pandemic require immediate action. PSAC calls on all levels of government to:

Provide increased emergency funding to women’s shelters and sexual assault support centres, and identify ways to make services accessible in the context of physical distancing measures;
Work with health facilities and community organizations to quickly identify available local resources;
Include essential services to address violence against women in their response plan for COVID-19.

PSAC’s work to prevent violence against women continues. Our union is proud to have negotiated 10 days of paid domestic violence leave in all new federal government collective agreements to ensure those facing domestic violence begin to get the support they need. We also continue to pressure governments to implement all recommendations from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls report, and to eliminate barriers to accessing legal and counselling support for women experiencing violence.

PSAC is calling all members to participate in Canada’s 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, from November 25 to December 10, by taking action to eliminate its root causes.

The original version of this article was first posted on the PSAC website.

National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women: 30 Years Later – We Remember

December 6, 2019 marks the 30^th anniversary of the Montréal Massacre, where 14 young women were killed at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal because they were women.

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