The white rose has become the symbol for Polytechnique Montréal’s commemorations of the tragic events of December 6, 1989, during which 14 women lost their lives and many other people were injured. The Order of the White Rose pays tribute to those killed and wounded as well as to family members, faculty, staff and students who were caught up in this tragedy that had a profound impact on Québec and all of Canada. Since 2014, the prestigious $50,000 scholarship is presented each year to a Canadian woman engineering student who wishes to pursue graduate studies (master’s or doctoral) at the institution of her choice, in Canada or elsewhere. The primary goal is to promote female role models in engineering and science across the country.

Thirty-five years after the mass femicide on its campus, and on the occasion of the 10th awarding of the Order of the White Rose scholarship, Polytechnique Montréal is looking to the future and now plans to provide financial assistance to 14 young Canadian woman engineers each year, in memory of the 14 victims of December 6, 1989. It will do so thanks to a partnership between Polytechnique, the McCall MacBain Foundation and a circle of benefactors. This initiative, made possible by the generous contribution of the McCall MacBain Foundation, will over time inspire other donors to widen that circle and boost support for emerging women engineers.

While ever-mindful of the essential task of remembering and honouring the legacy of the victims of December 6, Polytechnique is also resolutely focused on the future, advancing initiatives to ensure that women in engineering and future female engineers in Québec and the rest of Canada can take their rightful place. Accordingly, there will eventually be 14 scholarships awarded annually to promote careers in the engineering trades to young women across the country.