Dear Sisters/Brothers:
Re: National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
On December 6, 1989, 14 women were murdered at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal. They died because they were women. Now, more than 20 years later, we honour these victims and their families and remind ourselves that we must continue to stand up in protest of violence against women and take action to eliminate it from our society.
Sisters within our union proved their commitment this year, by fighting back against the Harper government and their decision to abolish the long gun registry – the registry that was developed as a direct result of the December 6 murders and has helped to save countless lives since.
Sisters across the country cried out to protect women and keep our communities safe, and they were heard. But Harper has made it clear the fight is not over and he will continue to target the long gun registry, what would be yet another attack on women from the Harper administration. We have much work to do.
So while we take time to reflect on the mothers, daughters, grandmothers and sisters across Canada and around the world that have been affected by violence, let’s also take time to plan for the future and recommit ourselves and our communities to putting an end to violence against women. The CLC offers 14 actions to make your workplace safe and to help end violence against women. Visit canadianlabour.ca/14actions for more information and take action today.
In Solidarity,
Robyn Benson
REVP – PSAC Prairies