December 6 2022

“On December 6, it is important to reflect on the deadly impacts of gender-based violence (GBV) and misogyny. GBV is a societal problem — and, too often, a workplace problem — that we all have a responsibility to tackle.” — Bert Blundon, NUPGE President

Ottawa (6 Dec. 2022) — Every year, December 6 is a day of remembrance and action in honour of the 14 women who were killed in the École Polytechnique massacre. 

On December 6, 1989, a male gunman opened fire in a classroom at the Montreal engineering school, specifically targeting the women students. The École Polytechnique massacre, an anti-feminist attack, is commemorated annually as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

“On December 6, it is important to reflect on the deadly impacts of gender-based violence (GBV) and misogyny,” said Bert Blundon, President of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE). “GBV is a societal problem — and, too often, a workplace problem — that we all have a responsibility to tackle.”

Never again: End GBV at work 

33 years after the École Polytechnique attack, the Canadian Labour Congres’s (CLC) National Survey on Harassment and Violence at Work exposed the unnerving reality that gender-based harassment and violence remain a persistent threat to workers. 

The survey also found that third-party violence (from customers, clients, and patients) accounts for 1 in 3 of these incidents. It’s a particular threat to women and gender-diverse workers, who are more frequently employed in public-facing jobs. The CLC and its affiliates, including NUPGE, are renewing calls on the federal government to ratify the ILO Convention on violence and harassment in the world of work (C190).

Learn more about the survey and how to get the word out, and find out about supports and resources that exist for those who have experienced harassment and violence at work, on the CLC’s Harassment and violence at work resource centre.

16 Days of Activism

December 6 falls within the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, which began with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (November 25) and ends on Human Rights Day on December 10.)

Learn more about the days of activism on the UN Women website. People can participate by attending a local event or action, or by joining the conversation on social media using the hashtag #16Days.