National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

BC - On this day, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, the BC Coalition of Women’s Centres (BCCWC) remembers the fourteen women murdered at Montréal’s École Polytechnique: Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, and Annie Turcotte.

The significance of this tragedy can never be minimized, and today as many of us mourn and remember the loss of the fourteen women, we are also called to action to end violence against women. Across Canada and in British Columbia, we have not done enough to address the epidemic of male violence against women.

British Columbian women have lost much ground in recent years. In addition to cutbacks to other programs and services for women in BC, all thirty-seven Women’s Centres in the province lost core funding on March 31, 2004, leaving many communities without the advocacy services of those Centres and leaving many Centres struggling, reducing services, and even closing in some cases.

As noted by the BCCWC’s recent submission to the BC Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, “After more than four years of cutbacks to programs and services, as well as policy and legislative changes, it is time for the Government of British Columbia to not only acknowledge the impact these cuts and changes have had on women and their families, but to address the inequities that have been perpetuated in our province.” (The entire submission is available here.)

BCCWC is calling on the BC Liberal Government to immediately restore funding to BC’s Women’s Centres, which are in crisis. The recently released Finance Committee report identified women’s services as a priority. Further, the Minister of Finance, Carole Taylor, refuses to meet with the BCCWC to discuss implementing the committee’s recommendations.

It saddens many of us that sixteen years later, women continue to die and are otherwise put at risk, while governments continue to pay lip service to the reality of the situation facing women in our communities, around BC, and across Canada. We are asking British Columbians who are concerned about violence against women to call the Finance Minister’s office at (250) 387-3750 and urge her to meet with the BC Coalition of Women’s Centres.