Women in Canadian History Education Guide

Plaque on the exterior wall of L’École Polytechnique co m me morating the victi ms of the Montreal Massacre (courtesy wikico m mons/ Bobanny).

Explore the Montreal Massacre events and violence against wo men and girls. O n D ece m b er 6, 1989, a ma n e ntere d M o ntreal’s Éc ol e Polytec h ni q u e a n d s e parate d mal e a n d fe mal e students, shooting and killing14 wo men while screa ming“You are allfe minists.” Canadians were shocked and horrified, but where so me sa w only a crazedindividual gun man, othersidentifiedinstitutionalized anti-fe minis m and violence against girls and wo men. The bloodshed encouraged many to take this event, kno wn asthe Montreal Massacre, seriously as an expression of a wider proble m.In1991, Canada declared Dece mber 6 a National Day of Re me mbrance and Action on Violence Against Wo men. In your classroo m, you will create a me morial poster that honours victi ms and educates students about the continued reality of violence against wo men and girls.

3. Decide as a clas s what the mes and co mponents would be appropriate, and then create a poster using materials of your choice. 4. Conduct a gallery walk and debrief. Extension: Have a class discussion about misogynyin current events, addressing the e mergence of the # Me Too and #Ti mesUp move ments. Discuss what has changed and what has not.

1. As a class, watch the foll o wing vide o fro m the C B C Archives, htt ps:// w w w.youtu be.c o m/ watch?v=n dk w 0y K85z 4 , and read about the victi ms and survivors of the massacre at htt p:// w w w.cbc.ca/ montreal/features/re me mber-14/ and http:// montrealgazette.co m/ne ws/local-ne ws/polytechnique massacre-lives-forever-chan ge d . Read more about the events on The Canadian Encyclopedia andin mediareports. 2. Partner up to research the events. • What happened? • Why didit happen? Whatisthe context ofthis event? • Whyis this event historically signi fficant? » Ho w didthis eventresultin change? » Ho wisthis eventtoldto us? • Why did the Montreal Massacre produce such an over whel ming response? What diditreveal aboutthelargerissue of violence against wo men and girlsin Canadian society?

MODIFICATION: PAIR STUDENTS. HAVE ONE STUDENT CONDUCT THE RESEARCH, AND THE OTHER COMPLETE THE VISUALS.

Courtesy Rise Up Fe minist Archive. riseupfe ministarchive.ca/culture/buttons/ stopviolenceagainst wo men/.

Write a ne wspaper exposéthat explores violence againstIndigenous wo men and girls. I n di g e n o us wo m e n are s u bj ect to hi g h er rates of g e n d er- bas e d vi ol e nce t ha n n o n-I n di g e n o us Canadians. 3 The severity ofthis violence,including physical and sexual assault as well as murder, only beca me visiblethrough exposés byIndigenous wo men activists andtheir alli es. By t h e b e gi n ni n g of t h e 21st c e nt ury, Ca na dia ns fac e d, as n ever b efor e, t h e nati o n’s funda mentalfailure of hu manrights. Exploringthe origins oftheseissuesis essentialif we ar e t o eli mi nate g e n d er- bas e d vi ol e nc e a n d f ul fill o ur h u ma n ri g hts c o m mit m e nts. Draft a n e ws pa p er ex p os é t hat ex pl or es t h e ori gi ns a n d p ersiste nc e of o n e fac et of violence againstIndigenous wo men and girls, and suggest measuresto wardits eli mi n ati o n. 1. C h o os e o n e of t h e foll o wi n g fac ets t o r es earc h: • The Root Causes of Violence » Considerthe underlyingfactors(colonialis m, govern ment policies such as t h e Indian Act ,thei mpact of Residential Schools andintergenerational trau ma, andinstitutionalizedracis m) • TheI m mediate Causes of Violence » C o nsi d er t h e syste mic s ocial, p olitical, ec o n o mic, a n d c ult ural c o n diti o ns (inadequate housing, poverty, accessto services,racis m, poorlevels of education,lo w e mploy ment andinco merates, etc.) • The Effects of Violence » Consider boththe direct andindirect consequencesforIndigenous wo men and girls

TearsIn Heaven by Tanisha Spotted Bull, 2017 (courtesyIndigenous Arts & Stories/ Historica Canada).

Potential sourcesfor yourresearchinclude: • The Truth & Reconciliation Co m mission of Canada • TheInquiryinto Missing & MurderedIndigenous Wo men & Girls • Native Wo men’s Association of Canada: Sistersin S pirit • Status of Wo men Canada • U NiTEto End Violence against Wo men 2. Your exposé shouldinclude a breakdo wn and a nalysis of yo ur res earc h, a n d five calls to acti o n. T hi n gs to c o nsi d er: • What doIndigenous wo men and girls haveto say a b out strate gies t o eli mi nate ge n der- base d vi ol e n c e ? • What rec o m men dati ons or strate gies c oul d hel p tackle t he tra ge dy?

3 http:// w w w.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2011001/article/11439-eng.ht m 10