USJE remembers victims of gender-based violence

December 6th is one of the most important commemorative days in the Canadian calendar. Many of us still remember where we were when we heard that 14 women were killed in Montreal on that terrible day in 1989. This year, a number of our locals and Regional Vice-Presidents (RVPs) assisted in commemorating this devastating event.

RVP for the NCR, JP Surette visited a number of USJE member workplaces to hand out buttons and pins to honour the memories of all women who have been subjected to gender-based violence. This was undertaken to show USJE’s support for those who may suffer in silence. We want all members to know that there is a way out of the cycle of abuse and violence and your union can help you access the community supports you need to stay safe.

Pictured here are some USJE member recipients, as well as a few of the great USJE volunteers who handed out the pins, at the Canadian Human Rights Commission on December 6, 2018.

In British Columbia, Kirsty Havard, USJE RVP BC, represented USJE at a December 6th remembrance event at the Reach Gallery Museum in Abbotsford, BC. USJE provided funds for refreshments at the event which was attended by the Deputy Mayor of Abbotsford, Patricia Ross.Guest speakers shared their experiences of surviving domestic violence and offered advice on how we can provide support as a union community.The very emotional program concluded with the reading aloud of the names of the 14 young women gunned down at l’ecole polytechnique de Montreal and roses were placed on 14 empty chairs representing the women who were killed that day.

Pictured here are Patty Ducharme, PSAC Regional organizer, Celine Ahodekon, National Equity Representative for racialized members of UNE / PSAC, Suwinder and Kirsty Harvard, USJE RVP.