Vigil honours victims of femicides in Quebec so far in 2026
Posted June 11, 2026 1:20 pm.
Last Updated June 11, 2026 5:54 pm.
Dozens of Montrealers gathered to honour the victims of femicides in the province so far this year and called on the Quebec government to increase funding for prevention measures.
Thursday’s event was organized by the feminist action collective, le Comité d’action féministe d’Action-Gardien, near the Charlevoix metro station in Montreal’s Pointe-Saint-Charles neighbourhood.
“They were killed just because they were women,” said Hind Es-Sadiqi, coordinator of Madame Prend Congé. “So we want to shed light on that issue and make sure that we talk about it and that we sensitise people about that issue.”
Several community organizations from the neighbourhood participated in the vigil, where they displayed names of femicide victims.
They called on the Quebec government to fund social housing and shelters for vulnerable women.
The organizers also demanded education programs for children and young people to raise awareness about gender-based violence.
“Femicides is the end of a process of a very long and painful process because for women it takes them, in average, seven times in order to leave an abusive relationship,” said Es-Sadiqi. “So it’s a very, very long process and for there to help women open their eyes and have the tools and the financial needs to leave their abusive relationships.”
“Women and girls, especially Indigenous, racialized, and sexually and gender-diverse women, are dying from the lack of will to address gender-based violence,” organizers said in a statement.
“Each femicide is a stark reminder that our society is failing to create safe living environments for half of its population.”
Advocates have warned that femicides have been on the rise across the country in recent years.
According to the Canadian Femicide Observatory of Justice, there were 14 femicides in Quebec last year. This year the province saw four victims of femicides in the first four weeks alone with the 11th victim recorded in May.
The incidents prompted over 600 people, including Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal, TV personality Véronique Cloutier, to sign a petition calling for stronger preventive measures against intimate partner violence.
“The message to the public would be to not be scared to allow people when they are in the violence. I think we’re very used to it. I think it’s normal. And even between boys, we see the behaviour of their best friends and they don’t react, which is not acceptable. Because that violence can be a murder,” said Es-Sadiqi. “But sometimes it doesn’t. But the violence is still there. It’s still not acceptable. So it’s to tell the truth and to protect each other.”
Last month, the Quebec government tabled Bill 4 which would allow anyone who fears for their safety or their children’s safety to get information about the history of domestic violence of their current or former partner.
The legislation has also been called “Gabie Renaud” bill, a 43-year-old Saint-Jérôme woman who was allegedly killed by her partner in September 2025 with a long history of domestic violence.
