15 light beams illuminate the sky during annual ceremony for women killed at Polytechnique

Fifteen beams of light lit up the Montreal sky from Mount Royal Friday night in memory of the 14 women murdered at Polytechnique on Dec. 6th 1989 and for all the women killed in femicides.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, along with Quebec Premier François Legault and Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante attended the emotional ceremony, where they each took their turn to lay white roses in honour of the women who lost their lives in the act of violence committed by gunman Marc Lépine all those years ago.

“Tonight, as we gather to mark 35 years since the killing of 14 women simply because they were women at École Polytechnique,” said Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau. “We also remember that in the years since, far too many more women have been killed, have suffered violence, and it has to stop.”

For the 11th consecutive year, 14 blue beams lit up as the victim’s names were read out loud by two engineering students currently attending Polytechnique.

But for the first time, a 15th pink beam of light was lit in honour of women who have died in femicides in the years following the massacre.

“It’s something that we must always remember,” said Johanne Truesdell, friend of Nathalie Croteau who was a victim of the Polytechnique anti-feminist massacre.

“It is very hard and we must continue to do our work to stop what’s happening to women, the femicides and also [work for better gun control] in Canada,” she added.

"It's something we always remember," says Johanne Truesdell as she talks about her friend, Nathalie Trudeau, who died 35 years ago today, at the hands of gunman Marc Lépine at Polytechnique.

READ: https://t.co/dIFkvxPAPs pic.twitter.com/VjXSGbwuWz

— CityNews Montreal (@CityNewsMTL) December 7, 2024

According to the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability (CFOJA), 170 women have already been victims of femicide in Canada this year, with four having died this month alone.

Though, for some in attendance, this year’s efforts to bring femicides to light has in fact been apparent.

“This year what I see is that we try to emphasize the fact that so many more women are being killed every year,” said Serge St-Arneault, brother of Annie St-Arneault, one of the 14 women who were killed at Polytechnique.

“This year has been more solemn compared with what I saw last year,” he said while describing the new addition of the choir following a moment of silence which left many in tears, including Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante.

“I’m here in solidarity with my friends from Polytechnique and in memory of these 14 young women who lost their lives because of someone who doesn’t like women and who did what he did, ” said Boufeldja Benabdallah, co-founder of the Quebec City Islamic Cultural centre.

“We lost 14 engineers who now could have built bridges, could have done so many things for society,” she went on to say.

Others in attendance at the ceremony not only stand in solidarity but they also have a message for women.

Sophie Beaudry, current biomedical engineering student at Polytechnique Montreal said: “Women, don’t be afraid to do what you want to do. Don’t be afraid to take a male place. You deserve what you have and you are as great as every of your male colleagues.”