The Tragedy

As winter approaches, heads will
bow in remembrance of 14 women
killed in Montreal.

The massacre occurred on Dec. 6,
1989. A memorial will be held at the
College on Dec. 2.

The tragedy in Montreal was at
the extreme end of a continuum, one
that starts with suggestive leers by
strangers and moves through date
rape, wife battering and random
parking lot attacks. Not long ago,
Parliament scoffed at this scenario,
but has since acknowledged the
violence that threatens women
throughout Canada.

In 1991, Parliament declared Dec.
6 a National Day of Remembrance
and Action on Violence Against
Women. The all-party support for
this day came almost a decade after
former Vancouver East MP Margaret
Mitchell was ridiculed in the House
of Commons for raising the issue of
wife beating. The new maturity of
our politicians reflects the growing,
country-wide concern that violence
against women must stop. The
recent federal report on violence
against women and findings re-
leased by Statistics Canada last week
present irrefutable evidence that this
issue is of paramount importance to
Canadians.

The Thursday, Dec. 2, memorial
ceremony will be held from 12:30 to
1:30 pm. in the North Quadrangle.

The Project

The Women’s Monument Project
was born out of the pain, anger and
fear that followed the Montreal
Massacre. A former Capilano Col-
lege student conceived the project,
which is now sponsored by the
Capilano College Women’s Centre
and directed by a grass roots com-

Nov. 25/93

The Tragedy and the Changing
Attitude of Parliament

mittee. The mandate is to create a
national monument in Vancouver
honoring all women who have been
murdered by men.

On July 19, the Vancouver Park
Board unanimously approved
Thornton Park as the future site of
The Women’s Monument. Thornton
Park is the wide boulevard style park
that sits between Main Street and the
recently refurbished CN station in
Vancouver

The Women’s Monument is
intended to be a “living” monument.
That is, it will include a way for
visitors to interact with it. It is also
intended as a public work of art to be
designed and built by women, so it
will help offset the absence of such
public art in Canada. Guidelines for
a national competition to design The
Women’s Monument are being
prepared.

The competition will be of particu-
lar interest to women in the fields of
architecture, landscape architecture,
engineering and visual arts. From the
design competition, through con-
struction and analysis, women are
being encouraged to participate.
Many exciting elements of this
project provide opportunities for
women in traditionally male-domi-
nated fields.

Banking institutions, community
groups, corporations and businesses,
educational institutions and student
centres, labor organizations, various
government agencies, members from
all major political parties, women’s
organizations, and many other
individuals have provided financial
support for the project. Names of all
contributors will be inscribed at the
monument site in recognition of their
commitment to ending violence
against women.

A brochure has been printed and is
being widely distributed, and a French

language brochure is being printed.
The project is cultivating francophone
contacts, especially in Quebec.

If you would like to become
involved with The Women’s Monu-
ment Project or make a donation,
please contact Cate Jones at loc. 2078.