December 6: A day of mourning and a call to do better

December 6 is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Every year, we stop and remember the 14 women murdered at Montréal’s École Polytechnique in 1989 simply because they were women. It’s a heavy day, and it should be. Their deaths forced Canada to face the reality of gender-based violence.

For unions, this day matters. Those women were engineering students whose futures were stolen. Our members work in male-dominated environments where women still face barriers, harassment and real safety risks. Violence isn’t always physical. It can show up as intimidation and disrespect.

Remembering December 6 is a reminder to look at our own worksites and ask what we can do better: safer reporting systems, zero tolerance for harassment, stronger mentorship for women coming into trade and marine careers and building a culture where we back each other up.

We honour the 14 women by building safer workplaces now.