The University of Calgary hosted a noon hour program on Tuesday to mark Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, while also remembering the 14 women who were singled out and massacred at Ecole Polytechnique on December 6, 1989. Jocelyn Kelln, a Communications and Culture Master of Arts told those assembled that the most powerful weapon we have in ending violence against women is our voice. She says not every one may agree with us, and we may not change everyone’s mind, but we must be part of the conversation to eliminate violence against women. Lana Wells, the Brenda Stafford Chair in the Prevention of Domestic Violence with the Faculty of Social Work, spoke about our responsibility to end violence against women. She believes we must look at ways to eliminate the root causes of domestic violence. Wells discussed the work being done in the province currently. She believes there are a few places to start and that includes engaging men and boys, believing that it can have a positive impact not only on women, but on the lives of the men as well. Wells also discussed the need for a better education strategy for K-12 students. “Reading, writing and arithmetic are important” according to Wells, “but so are relationships.” The final speaker was Dr. Adrienne Kertzer, the university’s Advisor to the President on Women’s Issues. Kertzer says events such as this are a difficult balance between memory and action. “How do we remember the dead and not fall into the distracting, and to me somewhat distasteful, rhetoric of declaring today an ‘opportunity’ - a word that frequently occurs in memorial discourse”. She says violence does not belong anywhere and the university is committed to doing all it can to create an environment free of violence.
