The Price faculty of engineering held its annual memorial on Dec. 5 to honour the 14 women murdered in the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre, an act of gender-based violence that has continued to shape conversations about safety, inclusion and equity in engineering.

The event, organized by the U of M Engineering Society (UMES) in partnership with the dean’s office, drew students, faculty and staff to the engineering atrium for speeches, reflection and a candle lighting ceremony.

The ceremony opened with remarks from Elder-in-residence Norman Meade, followed by speeches from U of M president Michael Benarroch and dean of the Price faculty of engineering Marcia Friesen.

The names of the women killed were read out, along with brief biographies. Candles were lit and placed beside their photos by 14 volunteers made up of seven women and seven men. The event closed with remarks from UMES senior stick Simran Gill.

Friesen said the memorial, held across the country, remains essential more than three decades later.

“It’s important to remember the losses of that day, [as well as] the violence that was inherent in that event and the impacts it had on the families and the communities.”

Friesen explained that the anniversary calls for ongoing scrutiny of our culture surrounding violence against women. “It’s important to just recognize why the event happened, and to ask ourselves whether we’ve made changes since then and what we can continue to do,” she said.

She added the tragedy reinforces the broader reality that “the world is not a safe and just place for everybody,” further encouraging engineering communities to continually ask themselves how they can contribute to eliciting change.

Friesen also expressed gratitude for student leadership. “I really appreciate that [UMES] continues to host this event every year,” she stated. “I think it’s a real expression of their commitment to remembering.”

Kinzie Friesen, the MC for the event and a second-year engineering student, said the gathering made her feel “really empowered.”

“It makes me really happy that everyone gathered together today to support [this issue],” she said. “There [are] so many people that find this matter important and want to make a change and stand up to gender-based violence”

Luke Qually, fourth-year civil engineering student who has served as a candle holder at the event for several years, said the act carries deep significance for him as a man in the faculty.

“I feel it is a duty as a man in engineering to do what I can to ensure that the space is welcoming,” he explained. “And that the harms and the issues that still exist are acknowledged.”

“For me, the candles represent that while their lives were cut short, the impact and the legacy that they had is not forgotten,” Qually added.

Mallory Stewart, a third-year biosystems engineering student and UMES equity officer, mentioned the importance of hosting such events. “It’s a really good time to reflect on these important events so that they don’t repeat themselves.”

“It promotes inclusion,” she said. “I’m doing a lot of work in engineering to help promote equity, inclusivity, diversity and accessibility.”

“Believe in who you are, believe in your passions and believe that you have a place in engineering,” Stewart encouraged students.