Every December, the country pauses to remember the 14 women who lost their lives in a mass shooting at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal in 1989. This year’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women will feature a digital moment of silence, when everyone is asked to set aside time for reflection and to avoid online commitments.

The digital moment of silence is set for 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4, a time chosen to minimize impact on classes. It is suggested that you pause for at least 15 minutes: one minute for each victim of the l’École Polytechnique massacre, plus one minute for wider reflection on a future without gender-based violence. Please turn of all screens and committ instead to quiet reflection. That means no emails, no social media, and no video conferencing. A quiet time for you to collect your thoughts.

We are also providing a Zoom background for you to recognize the Day. The background lists the names of the 14 women who lost their lives at l’École Polytechnique: 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. It is available at BrandonU.ca/SWRC.

For more information, see our news post.