Today is #December6, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Today we remember. *Beginning of thread*

We remember the 14 young women who went to class the morning of #December6, 1989 not thinking that they might not leave the school alive.

We remember Geneviève Bergeron, a second year engineering student who played clarinet and sang in a professional choir.

We remember Nathalie Croteau, an engineering student who was counting down the days until a vacation in Mexico.

We remember Hélène Colgan, a student in her final year of mechanical engineering who already had three job offers.

We remember Barbara Daigneault, who was already working as a teaching assistant for her father, a professor at #UQAM.

We remember Anne-Marie Edward, who loved outdoor sports like skiing and diving, and was always surrounded by friends.

We remember Maud Haviernick a second year student in metallurgical engineering and a graduate in environmental design.

We remember Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, a nursing student who had just arrived in Montreal from Poland in 1987.

We remember Maryse Laganière, who worked in the engineering school's budget department and had recently married.

We remember Maryse Leclair, a 4th year student whose body was found by her father, Montreal police Lt Pierre Leclair.

We remember Anne-Marie Lemay, fourth-year mechanical engineering looking forward to the upcoming holiday break.

We remember Sonia Pelletier, killed the day before she was going to graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering.

We remember Michèle Richard, a second year engineering student who was presenting a paper with Haviernick when she died.

We remember Annie St-Arneault, killed as she sat listening to a presentation in her last class before graduation.

We remember Annie Turcotte, who went into metallurgical engineering so she could one day help save the environment.

We remember that the gunman at the #ÉcolePolytechnique’s violence was directed towards "feminists," who he felt had ruined his life.

We remember that he had a long list of other women that he wanted to kill – prominent women who angered him by taking up space.

And we recognize that 29 years later, women still face violence for pursuing an education, building a career, participating in politics, and demanding an equal voice and equal pay to men. Women all over the world are still targets of violence for simply existing.

On #December6, we remember the missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people. We think of their families, friends, and loved ones fighting for justice. Indigenous women and girls experience gender-based violence at a disproportionately higher rate. #MMIW

On #December6, we think of the lives lost to gun violence across #Toronto. We think of the mothers, families and loved ones grieving tragic losses and also fighting for positive legacies.

On #December6, we remember the women across #Ontario who have lost their lives to violence this past year: Wendy Allan, 51, Elizabeth Alma Alder, 57, Autumn Andy, 15, Essozinam Assali, 27, Heeley Rae Balanga, 35, Irene Barkman, 32, Elaine Bellevue, 61, Danielle Big George, 23…

…Carolyn Campbell, 52, Betty Ann Cup, 72, Maria Desousa, 81, Abbegail Elliott, 21, Rhoderie Estrada, 41, Sandra Finn, 71, Marian Fischer, 61, Shelby Goldhar, 28, Edra Haan, 58…

…Holly Hamilton, 29, Ninon “Nina” Hardie, 72, Avtar Kaur, 60, Barbara Kovic, 76, Alicia Lewandowski, 25, Alyssa Lightstone, 20, Emilie Maheu, 26, Elena Marcucci, 84, Safaa Marina, 53, Colleen Maxwell, 73, Amanda McClaskin, 36, Diane McLeod, 67, Krassimira Pejcinovski, 39…

…Roy Pejcinovski, 15, Venellia “Vana” Pejcinovski, 13, Anne Marie Rainville, 61, Brenda Richardson, 77, Hoden Said, 30, Elisabeth Salm, 59, Linda Santos, 47, Jayanthy Seevaratnam, 46...

…Victoria Selby-Readman, 28, Jan Singh, 70, Glenda Spetz, 78, Autumn Taggart, 31, Baljit Thandi, 32, Ulla Theoret, 55, Raija Turunen, 88, Janice West, 61, and Laura Wigelsworth, 27.

On #December6, we honour the resilience of trans communities who face high rates of sexual, physical and systemic violence, and we remember those who have lost their lives to such violence.

On #December6 we ask ourselves how we can create a better world for women, girls and non-binary people so that they can pursue their passions and live their lives without fear of violence.

On #December6, we remember, but we also demand action. We recognize that gun violence is intricately connected to gender-based violence. We demand tighter gun control laws and urge support for initiatives like the @CGCguncontrol #TriggerChange campaign. triggerchange.ca

We also urge a comprehensive and proactive approach to gun violence, including strengthening our social safety net and addressing the root causes of violence, so that everyone in our city, and country, has a fair and meaningful opportunity to pursue their dreams. *End of thread*