The annual ceremony for the Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women was held in Iqaluit on Dec. 6, but the Qulliit Council for the Status of Women and the Amautiit Nunavut Inuit Women's Association organize events all year to bring attention to the grim realities women face in Nunavut.
“It’s very unfortunate we have to be the highest of something in our territory,” said Margaret Nakashuk, the minister responsible for status of women, while speaking to the crowd at the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum on Dec. 6. “But I also feel we have to keep advocating.”
Those present were reminded by an organizer of the reason for the occasion: a call to action, and remembrance of the 14 women killed and 13 more injured during a shocking and tragic moment in Canadian history.
On Dec. 6, 1989, a lone gunman who resented women for studying engineering, what he believed should be a “male profession,” executed these female students eating in the cafeteria of L’École Polytechnique in Montreal.
This year, the Iqaluit march began at the Igluvut Building and ended at the museum, where a ceremony — put on by Qulliit and partners Agvik YWCA, the RCMP ‘V’ Division, Nunavut Law Society and the Government of Nunavut — was held and a safe space maintained for those pausing to reflect and honour the memories of those who have been lost to gendered violence.
“This public aggression is not separate from, but rather a reflection of the broader interpersonal violence that Inuit women face — a stark reality that demands urgent attention,” said Qulliit President Jasmine Redfern. “Inuit women disproportionately face violence in our homes, our workplaces and our communities. Tonight, as we pause to remember the 14 young women at the Polytechnique Montreal, we also hold space for the countless Inuit women and girls who have been harmed by gender-based violence, and those who continue to endure it.
“But,” continued Redfern, “this remembrance is not just about looking back. It’s about what we choose to do now. I encourage all of us to make a regular practice of pausing and reflecting in our regular lives... to build the communities as we wish to live in them.
“This space for reflection allows us to take mindful, deliberate action and choice. To choose how we respond, how we act and how we stand up lies at the heart of our collective healing and progress... let us choose safety, for all women and girls, no matter where they may be,” she said.
Redfern pointed out that Amautiit was founded by a group of Inuit women leaders, “women who saw the need to support Inuit women’s leadership and resilience in the face of persistent challenges.”
Nakashuk reflected that “it was a peaceful walk, but it was a walk that a lot of women need. It was great to see a young one with us,” she added, referring to a child who accompanied her mother, “because it’s young people we need to educate... domestic violence is not acceptable in our community...[it] doesn’t come on a good or a bad day... there’s women in the smaller communities who have no one to go to at times... I’m in a position that I need to be vocal.”
