Mike Schreiner statement on National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

December 6, 2021

TORONTO — Mike Schreiner made the following statement on the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

QUEEN’S PARK — Mike Schreiner made the following statement on the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women:

“On this day, 32 years ago, 14 young women were tragically murdered at École Polytechnique in an act of violent misogny and antifeminism.

They were killed simply because they were women.

Sadly, over three decades later, misogyny and gender-based violence is still rampant across Canada and in Ontario.

The number of women who were victims of homicide has risen in Canada during the pandemic and the last 2 years. In Ontario this year alone, gender-based violence claimed 58 lives.

Police forces across the country have reported increases in the number of calls related to domestic violence.

Social services have seen an increase in the severity of violence against women throughout the pandemic.

And disturbing incidents, like what happened at Western University in September, continue to happen at Ontario universities.

On the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, I’m calling on the Ford government to:

• Reinstate Ontario’s Expert Panel on Violence Against Women
• Adequately fund social supports for women who suffer violence
• Invest in transitional housing to support women fleeing domestic violence
• Address the systemic causes of inequality and gender-based violence by empowering women

Empowerment through policies like affordable, $10-a-day child care, and investing in economic opportunities for women.

It’s vital that we listen to survivors and lift up the voices of women everywhere in our province.

In particular, we should lift up the voices of women of colour, Indigenous women, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people, who are the most likely groups of people in our society to face violence, misogyny, and oppression.

As a white man, I must look at my privilege and role in the systems we have created.

I have a responsibility to advocate and to follow the lead of women in the effort to eradicate gender-based violence.”

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