december 6: day of remembrance

Two days late, I want to acknowledge the anniversaries of two terrible, important events in Canadian history.

On December 6, 1917, the people of Halifax were devastated by the detonation of a French cargo ship, fully loaded with wartime explosives, that collided with a Norwegian ship in Halifax Harbour. Now known as the Halifax Explosion, about 2,000 people were killed, and more than 9,000 people were injured. The population of Halifax was about 50,000 at the time. The Halifax Explosion was the largest artificial explosion until the United States destroyed Hiroshima, and is still one of the world's largest artificial non-nuclear explosions to date.

The loss of life could have been much worse, were it not for the heroism of one man, Vince Coleman. James sent me this excellent re-telling of that well-known story.

On December 6, 1989, 14 women, students at École Polytechnique in Montreal, were murdered by a man named Marc Lepine. Another 14 women were injured but survived, and Lepine committed suicide on the scene.

This was the ultimate hate crime: Lepine killed the women because they were female. He announced, "I hate feminists".

December 6 is remembered in Canada as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. In the House of Commons on Thursday, I saw many Members wearing white ribbons in remembrance.

Although response to the massacre led to changes in laws, especially gun-control laws and the police response to shootings, violence against women in Canada remains a serious problem, as it is everywhere, in every country in the world.

Here are some facts, and a statement about the Day of Remembrance from the NDP. Look at their names. All but one was younger than me.

Geneviève Bergeron (b. 1968)
Hélène Colgan (b. 1966)
Nathalie Croteau (b. 1966)
Barbara Daigneault (b. 1967)
Anne-Marie Edward (b. 1968)
Maud Haviernick (b. 1960)
Maryse Laganière (b. 1964)
Maryse Leclair (b. 1966)
Anne-Marie Lemay (b. 1967)
Sonia Pelletier (b. 1961)
Michèle Richard (b. 1968)
Annie St-Arneault (b. 1966)
Annie Turcotte (b. 1969)
Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz (b. 1958)