Dec. 6 is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

It marks the anniversary of the mass shooting of 14 women — 12 of them engineering students — at Polytechnique Montreal in 1989, by a man who hated “feminists” and believed women had taken his place at the school. There is a monument commemorating the Montreal shooting victims near the doors of the Faculty of Engineering’s John Hodges building.

“These women could have been our professors, teachers, mentors, and our industry leaders, but they’re no longer with us today,” says Sheridan Fong, president of the McMaster Engineering Society.

It’s also a day to commemorate and honour the memory of the thousands of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls, as well as members of the McMaster community and those around the world who have been harmed by gender-based violence.

The Dec. 6 committee is postponing two events commemorating the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women — the Men’s Walk and the REDress Project — until February 2023. More information will be available from the committee in the new year.