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CLC marking 20th anniversary of Montreal Massacre with 20-day mailing campaign to highlight the ongoing need for change.
Ottawa (17 Nov. 2009) - December 6 this year marks the 20th anniversary of the 1989 Montreal massacre of 14 young women at the École Polytechnique de Montréal. December 6th has become symbolic in the fight to end violence against women which continues to be pervasive in our society and is rooted in social inequality.
Members of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) and its Components across the country will be making a special effort this year to focus attention on the issue of violence against women – at home and in the work place.
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Women living in violent situations often lack the financial resources to leave. Their situation is frequently compounded by low wages, cuts to social assistance and inadequate funding for women’s services and shelters.
To help commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Montreal massacre and renew the call for change, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) has developed a postcard campaign which it officially launched on November 16. The campaign entitled 20 days 20 ways to end violence against women encourages activists to send one postcard a day to the Prime Minister for the 20 days leading up to December 6. Postage is free to the Prime Minister’s office.
A set of 20 different postcards highlights a variety of measures that governments could implement to increase the safety and security of women to help eliminate violence against women.
The postcards focus on various areas of action, such as:
- Funding for women’s services, shelters and organizations.
- Pay equity, employment insurance, social assistance, minimum wage, pensions
- Housing, education and child care.
- Aboriginal women, young women and women with disabilities.
- Violence in the workplace, good jobs and public services.
The National Union is encouraging its members and all Canadians to participate in the postcard campaign. It is also encouraging Canadians to continue lobbying the federal government to take measures to ensure the safety of Canadian women and girls and to implement policies that establish women's equality through financial equity and strong social programs.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE
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