Honourable senators, on December 6, 1989, 14 young women lost their lives in a place that was meant to open doors for them. I am talking about the tragedy at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal.

These girls in their early twenties were aspiring science and engineering professionals. What a sad loss for Quebec and for Canada. The killer, another student, was armed with a Mini-14 rifle and a hunting knife, both of which should never be carried in public.

This event had a profound effect on me, because at the time, I was sitting in a classroom at another Quebec university some 10 kilometres away.

I have often wondered if this tragedy could have been avoided or would have been mitigated if the killer had not been able to obtain firearms. I am firmly against allowing civilians to carry weapons, and I abhor the killings that are accepted by our neighbour to the south, where two thirds of the population owns a firearm. It is an obsession. There is no other word for the free circulation of these weapons in spite of all these murders.

Since 1991, we have recognized December 6 as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. This day is an opportunity to continue our discussions and reflections in order to find ways to prevent this violence.

Dear colleagues, we must all take meaningful action to end this violence, and that starts by including women in professions. Even today, only 17 per cent of engineers are women. However, this percentage is increasing every year, and I would like to think that it is in honour of the women of École Polytechnique. Being a woman should never be a barrier to pursuing education in a chosen field.

Today, we want to pay tribute to the memory of the victims of the École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal. Although this tragic event took place 28 years ago, we will always remember them.