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Femicide Report Says Woman or Girl Killed Every 2.5 Days in Canada
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Femicide Report Says Woman or Girl Killed Every 2.5 Days in Canada

The inaugural report from the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability was conducted in response to a call from the United Nations for countries to better understand the killings of women. The observatory’s director, University of Guelph professor Myrna Dawson, said, “The context in which women and girls are killed is vastly different because they’re most often killed by people they know, and that’s in contrast to males who are most often killed by acquaintances and strangers. Calling it for what it is and recognizing the distinctiveness underscores the fact that we need different types of prevention.”

Pandemic Lockdowns Have Led to Increase in Intimate Partner Violence, Experts Say
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Pandemic Lockdowns Have Led to Increase in Intimate Partner Violence, Experts Say

Experts on intimate partner violence released a study, which found that pandemic-related public health restrictions were giving abusers “circumstances to increase their capacity to control and to manipulate.” The study also argued that previously non-violent people were becoming increasingly abusive due to the stress and tension brought about by the pandemic. There was a massive increase in phone calls to support groups and help lines, with one Toronto-based organization reporting a 9,000 per cent increase from pre-pandemic levels.

École Polytechnique Tragedy (Montreal Massacre)
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École Polytechnique Tragedy (Montreal Massacre)

On 6 December 1989, a man entered a mechanical engineering classroom at Montreal’s École Polytechnique armed with a semi-automatic weapon. After separating the women from the men, he opened fire on the women while screaming, “You are all feminists.” Fourteen young women were murdered, and 13 other people were wounded. The shooter then turned the gun on himself. In his suicide note, he blamed feminists for ruining his life. The note contained a list of 19 “radical feminists” who he said would have been killed had he not run out of time. It included the names of well-known women in Quebec, including journalists, television personalities and union leaders.

​The École Polytechnique Tragedy: Beyond the Duty of Remembrance
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​The École Polytechnique Tragedy: Beyond the Duty of Remembrance

Every year on 6 December, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, the women who lost their lives in the massacre are remembered. While flags are flown at half-mast, vigils, conferences and demonstrations are held in remembrance. Despite these efforts, assigning meaning to the shooting has stirred controversy — and continues to do so.

2018 Toronto Van Attack
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2018 Toronto Van Attack

At 1:24 p.m. on 23 April 2018, a 25-year-old man who identified as an incel (involuntary celibate), drove a rented van onto the sidewalk on Yonge Street in Toronto’s North York business district. He proceeded to drive south, intentionally running over pedestrians. When he was stopped by police 10 minutes later, 10 people (eight of them women) were dead and 16 injured. It was the biggest mass murder in Toronto history and the worst in Canada since the Montreal massacre in 1989. On 3 March 2021, the driver was found guilty of 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder. His sentencing process is scheduled to begin on 11 January 2022.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada
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Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada

Missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada (MMIWG) refers to a human rights crisis that has only recently become a topic of discussion within national media. Indigenous women and communities, women’s groups and international organizations have long called for action into the high and disproportionate rates of violence and the appalling numbers of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada. Prior to the launch of the national public inquiry on 8 December 2015, these calls were continually ignored by the federal government. Described by some as a hidden crisis, Dawn Lavell-Harvard, former president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, refers to MMIWG as a national tragedy and a national shame. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada supported the call for a national public inquiry into the disproportionate victimization of Indigenous women and girls. The National Inquiry’s Final Report was completed and presented to the public on 3 June 2019.