MONTREAL — Polytechnique Montréal and others across the country will pay tribute on Saturday to the 14 women who were murdered at the engineering school 36 years ago in a brazen anti-feminist attack.
During a windswept morning ceremony at the Montreal school, wreaths and bouquets of white roses were laid in front of a commemorative plaque at Polytechnique’s main building.
Members of the school community took part in the early morning event, including Polytechnique Montréal president Maud Cohen.
“It’s a time to commemorate the events, what happened, and to remember these young women, their dreams, and what they ultimately wanted to do: become engineers,” Cohen said Saturday.
“But for us, it’s also a time to look to the future and see how, as a university, we can ensure we make a difference for women in engineering.”
In the evening, 15 beams of light will illuminate the night sky above Mount Royal for the 14 victims killed in the attack, along with an additional light for a second year in a row added for all victims of femicide.
Families of the victims, dignitaries and political leaders including Prime Minister Mark Carney, Quebec Premier François Legault, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez-Ferrada and Quebec Lt.-Gov. Manon Jeanotte will all attend the evening ceremony.
At 5:10 p.m., the time of the first shots in 1989, fourteen beams of light will rise, one by one, as the names of the women who perished in this antifeminist attack are called out. The lights will remain lit until 10 p.m.
The 14 women murdered in 1989 were Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, Annie Turcotte and Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz.
Thirteen others were injured in the anti-feminist attack perpetrated by Marc Lépine, who took his own life. He had ranted about feminists ruining his life.
The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, informally known as White Ribbon Day, falls on Dec. 6. to mark the anniversary of the Polytechnique massacre. Other events are planned at schools and communities across the country.
In a statement, Carney paid tribute to the 14 women, calling the massacre a “solemn reminder of the devastating toll of gender-based violence.”
“The horror of December 6, 1989, was an attack on women and the values of equality, dignity, and respect that define who we are as Canadians. It compels us, year after year, to confront gender-based violence wherever it persists and to match remembrance with responsibility,” he said.
Rechie Valdez, Canada’s minister of women and gender equality, also recalled the massacre as a day that “left a lasting scar on our nation.”
“Thirty-six years later, their impact endures. Their stories continue to be felt in every corner of Canada, reminding us not only of the devastating cost of gender-based violence, but of our collective responsibility to address it,” she said.
“We cannot change what happened on that tragic day, but we can — and we must — continue to act.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said in a statement that the “fight against violence toward women is a moral imperative.”
“This is not just a time to remember their names. It is a time to fight for our country’s promise: that every woman — regardless of background, profession, or circumstance — can live safely, with dignity and free from fear.”
Montreal’s mayor said in a statement that 36 years after the tragedy, women have a right to live without fear and to realize their dreams. She called on values of respect and equality to be passed down to future generations.
It is owed to the Polytechnique victims and those who need protections today, she said.
“This antifeminist act, fuelled by hatred, is a stark reminder that violence against women remains intolerable,” Martinez-Ferrada said. “In Montreal, we must continue the fight for equality, equity, and safety for all women and girls.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2025.
— with files from Anja Conton in Montreal.
Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press
