This tragedy compelled Canadians to confront the issue of violence against women. We still have much work to do, but on the 34th anniversary of the hate-motivated massacre in Montreal, we reaffirm our commitment, and we pledge to redouble our efforts to ending gender-based violence.

 

We have seen alarming data and statistics that show violence directed at women and girls has increased over the past few years.

 

One woman or girl is killed every 48 hours in Canada due to gender based violence. Half of the women in Canada over 16 have experienced at least one physical or sexual violence incident. Nightly, an average of 6,000 women and children sleep in shelters because of violence at home. Indigenous women, newcomer women, women with disabilities, LGBTQ2 individuals and women living in remote and rural areas are at a greater risk of violence.

 

Women's safety must be the foundation of every society, yet too many women, girls and people of diverse gender identities face violence and discrimination in Canada and around the world. We will keep working to build a safer, fairer, and more equal Canada.