December 6, 1989, an armed man killed 14 women, and injured 13 other individuals at Polytechnique Montréal.
Still incomprehensible to this day, this anti-woman attack stunned the entire country, and sent shockwaves throughout the entire world.
Polytechnique’s desire to honour the victims of this massacre remains strong.
By commemorating this painful event, we also highlight the courage, solidarity, and dedication to equity that the Polytechnique community continues to express.
The triumphs and successes of our community are the most sincere way to honour the 14 women whose lives and dreams were dramatically and unjustly cut short.
Polytechnique remembers the 14 young women whose lives tragically ended on December 6, 1989.
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Geneviève Bergeron (21 years old) |
Maryse Laganière, (25 years old) |
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Hélène Colgan (23 years old) |
Maryse Leclair, (23 years old) |
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Nathalie Croteau, (23 years old) |
Anne-Marie Lemay, (22 years old) |
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Barbara Daigneault, 22 years old) |
Sonia Pelletier, (28 years old) |
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Anne-Marie Edward, (21 years old) |
Michèle Richard, (21 years old) |
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Maud Haviernick, (29 years old) |
Annie St-Arneault, (23 years old) |
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Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, (31 years old) |
Annie Turcotte, (20 years old) |
Each December 6 since the tragedy in 1989, Polytechnique solemnly remembers the 14 women who were murdered on that date, as well as the additional victims, and their families.
This event also serves as an occasion to reaffirm our enduring hope for and belief in the future. While time cannot fully heal so great a wound, life is sacred and it is important that we honour it, even with our pain.
Each year, Polytechnique and the Comité Mémoire honour the December 6 1989 victims.
The Association étudiante de Polytechnique and PolyPhoto, in collaboration with the copy centre, present a photo exhibition in tribute to the 14 women whose lives were cut short on December 6, 1989.
Fourteen Polytechnique women employees and students posed for photographs to honour the memory those who died. The exhibition aims to raise awareness of those 14 exceptional women.
The photos will be displayed in the tunnel between the Main Building and the Lassonde Pavilions, as well as online.
The Campaign of the White Rose (formerly Week of the White Rose) is a national fundraising campaign held every year in the first week of December. Polytechnique Montréal appeals to the entire Polytechnique community—past and present—as well as the general public to make a donation by purchasing virtual white roses.
All funds raised go to Folie Technique, Polytechnique’s science outreach organization. The money will be used to give young people from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to participate in science awareness activities.
Donations can be made year-round on the Campaign of the White Rose’s online donation website.
This year, Polytechnique holds the 11th edition of the Order of the White Rose scholarship ceremony. The $50,000 scholarship is awarded to Canadian female engineering students pursuing graduate studies. This year, the scholarship program has expanded to become Canada-wide and includes a leadership support component.
The invitation-only event will be broadcast live on Polytechnique Montréal’s Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube pages.
In tribute to the 14 victims, December 6 is now Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Members of our community are encouraged to show their solidarity by wearing the white ribbon.
The flags in front of Polytechnique’s Main Building will be flown at half-mast from dawn to dusk.
Presentation of the December 6th commemorative scholarship.
Distribution of white ribbons.
The flags in front of the Roger-Gaudry Building will be flown at half-mast.
At dusk, a white halo will gently illuminate the tower on the Mountain Campus.
For the past 30 years, on the morning of December 6, representatives of the institution and the student associations have gathered to lay wreaths of white roses in front of the commemorative plaque.
The Polytechnique community and the general public are invited to come to the plaque at any time to pay their respects. The plaque is located near the student entrance to the Main Building.
In order to keep the memory alive of the 14 women who lost their lives in the anti-feminist attack of December 6, 1989, the City of Montreal, in collaboration with the Comité Mémoire and Moment Factory, will light up the Montreal sky for a 12th consecutive year.
At 5:10 p.m., the time when the first shots were fired, 14 beams will illuminate the sky above Mount Royal. Light beams will illuminate one at a time, every few seconds, as the names of the 14 victims are called. As last year, a fifteenth beam will be lit in memory of all victims of femicides.
The Polytechnique community and the general public are invited to gather at the Kondiaronk Belvedere or at the Mount Royal Chalet to attend the ceremony and observe a minute of silence when the beams are lit.
The Memorial Committee, consisting mostly of victims’ family members and loved ones, was formed shortly after the femicide to preserve the memory of the 14 women who were murdered and to underscore the anti-feminist nature of the attack. Over the years, the Committee has coordinated numerous commemorative activities with Polytechnique Montréal and the City of Montréal, including the 14 beams of light that illuminated the Montréal sky every December 6 at 5:10 p.m. from 2014 to 2024.
The Committee has supported activities that raise awareness about violence against women and has acted as key liaison with institutions organizing commemorative events, including the 30th anniversary commemorations. Among other things, the Committee has:
• Participated in the presentation of the Quebec National Assembly Medal, awarded posthumously to the 14 victims
• Collaborated on the research and launch of the book Ce jour-là by Josée Boileau, which pays tribute to the 14 victims and preserves the history of the tragedy for future generations
• Coordinated the participation of 13 other Canadian universities, from coast to coast, which organized their own ceremonies in solidarity with Polytechnique to mark the 30th anniversary of the tragedy. The events were broadcast in a special program carried by several Canadian broadcasters and watched across the country
• Worked for two years with the authors of the successful documentary play Projet Polytechnique, which toured Quebec in 2024
Today, the Committee continues to help keep alive in the public space the memory of the women whose lives were taken.
Immediately after the massacre, a Polytechnique collective made up of students, alumni and victims’ families began a six-year campaign that finally resulted in a series of effective gun control measures in December 1995. In 2009, in response to emerging political pressures that threatened to dismantle these gains, this community came together again under the name “PolySeSouvient” to defend the law. It presses governments to implement or maintain measures to reduce gun-related deaths and injuries. PolySeSouvient makes the case that all firearms are dangerous and therefore their sale, possession and use must be strictly regulated. Certain weapons and accessories whose risks outweigh any potential benefits to society should be banned.
The commemorative plaque is located on the southwest wall of Polytechnique Montréal’s Main Building, next to the student entrance. It consists of a round plaque made of dark green granite from Mégantic bearing the Polytechnique coat of arms and the names of the 14 victims, embedded in a slab of the same material.
This square was named in memory of the 14 women who were murdered. It serves as a reminder of basic values of respect and a condemnation of all forms of violence against women. Located at the corner of Decelles Street and Queen Mary Road, Place du 6-décembre-1989 is a place of remembrance in honour of the victims of the 1989 tragedy. The artwork Nef pour quatorze reines designed by artists Rose-Marie Goulet and Marie-Claude Robert in tribute to the 14 women is installed at the site.
Miroir des Montréalaises, a work designed by multidisciplinary artist Angela Silver, is installed at Place des Montréalaises near the Champ-de-Mars metro station, bordering Old Montreal. It pays tribute to seven pioneering Montreal women on one side and the 14 victims of the 1989 femicide on the other.