Breaking News

NDP statement on the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

Jill Andrew, NDP critic for Women’s Issues, released the following statement on the National Day of Remembrance and Violence against Women:

“We take this day to remember the disgusting and senseless act of violence committed at l’École Polytechnique in 1989, when 14 women were killed for no reason but simply for being women. This was a hate crime. As we remember that horrible day, we must commit to eliminating all violence against women, girls and gender diverse Ontarians.

Since then, there have been over 980 acts of femicide in the province of Ontario. Over 980 preventable losses.

Gender-based and domestic violence remains a reality in Ontario and Canada for women, queer, Trans and gender diverse people. Every single night in Canada there are 3,000 women with children escaping violence at home and seeking emergency shelter, and a woman is killed by an intimate partner every six days.

Among the women lost to violence are Anastasia Kuzyk, Nathalie Warmerdam and Carol Culleton in Renfrew County, who were murdered on September 22, 2015. Their deaths sparked a years-long inquest that produced 86 recommendations – including 68 that fall within provincial jurisdiction. Each recommendation is a step towards better responding to and ultimately preventing horrific acts of violence against women from ever happening again. These calls to action shouldn’t be sitting unanswered by this government months after the Inquest’s publication this past June.

The urgency to take action has only grown. We saw a massive uptick in gender-based violence across the province during the pandemic, creating a shadow pandemic of violence against women.

To honour the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women means to acknowledge that the endemic of gender-based violence continues here in Ontario, and commit to meaningfully addressing it. The provincial government has the power to prevent violence against women by accepting and implementing the many recommendations experts have given us. On the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, I am asking the government to do just that.”

Ontario NDP
Latest posts by Ontario NDP (see all)