On December 6, 1989 a lone gunman walked into Montreal’s École Polytechnique and began shooting female students. The young man was motivated by his misogynistic hatred for women. He targeted his victims because they were women.
By the time his rampage was over, 14 young women lay dead.
It was a tragedy that shook the nation to its core. Never before had our country seen such horrific violence targeted at young women.
The Polytechnique shooting galvanized the women's movement in Canada and put a national focus specifically on violence against women.
Parliament went on to create a national action plan on combating violence against women.
Every year on December 6 we mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
Still, violence against women remains an epidemic in this country.
Host David Smith speaks with Ecole Polytechnique survivor Nathalie Provost about her memory of that terrible day and her work advocating for stricter gun control laws in Canada.
![]()
We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:
Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca
Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter
