25th anniversary of Polytechnique Massacre marked in Montreal and across Canada

Candles were lit at a memorial service at the Ecole Polytechnique Saturday. (CTV Montreal / Kevin Gallagher)

Canadians are marking the 25th anniversary of the Montreal Massacre with ceremonies and vigils across the country Saturday.

It's been 25 years since Marc Lepine entered Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique and opened fire, killing 14 women. During the violent attack, Lepine was heard ranting that feminists had ruined his life.

In addition to the slain women, Lepine also wounded 13 others, before he took his own life on Dec. 6, 1989.

In Montreal, relatives of the 14 victims, as well as survivors will march in a procession through the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery to the Mount-Royal chalet at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

A minute of silence was observed at the exact moment the tragedy took place, beginning at 5:10 p.m.

Premier Philippe Couillard, Jean Doré, who was mayor of Montreal at the time of the attack, current Mayor Denis Coderre and PQ interim leader Stephane Bedard took part in a vigil for the women, where stories from many of the survivors and witnesses were heard inside the chalet.

Former NDP MP Dawn Black, who introduced a private members’ bill to mark Dec. 6 as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, spoke about the unmasking of violence against women who have spoken up about it.

“We will not be silenced,” she told an applauding crowd.

Couillard said the increased enrolment of women to the Polytechnique since 1989 is the greatest victory of the 14 women.

Coderre said he was touched by the event, but also troubled to see so many women who continue to be abused 25 years later.

Former premier Pauline Marois spoke after a long applause, reminding the audience that she, too, was the target of a gunman, in an assassination attempt the day she was named Quebec's first female premier.

Montreal Gazette reporter Sue Montgomery remembered being in England when she found out about the massacre and said she "felt sick" when she found out why Lepine aimed his target at women. Earlier this year, Montgomery started the hastag #BeenRapedNeverReported to help women stand up against their abusers without fear. It generated some 8 million tweets throughout the world.

The Université de Montreal Orchestra is performing an evening benefit concert to raise funds for gun control and legal clinic Juripop.

Montreal City Hall will also be illuminated in purple tonight in support of women. The tower at the Olympic Stadium will be illuminated in red in memory of the 14 victims.

Earlier in the day, the traditional laying of white roses took place outside of the school, in front of the commemorative plaque.

Romain Gayet, the president of the students' association at Ecole Polytechnique, told CTV News Channel that his association works hard to ensure that the memory of the tragedy is preserved for younger generations.

He said that this year, the school is working with a gun-control group from Ottawa to demand tighter gun-control measures from the federal government.

In particular, the students are targeting Bill C-42, formally titled "The Common sense Firearms Act." The bill, put forward by the governing Conservatives, seeks to simplify the gun-licensing process for legal gun owners.

The bill was initially scheduled to be debated on Oct. 22, the same day lone gunman Michael Zehaf-Bibeau stormed Parliament after shooting a soldier standing guard at Ottawa's National War Memorial.

Gayet said the bill is "dangerous" for gun control in Canada. He added that the association stands against facilitating the licensing process for small guns and assault rifles.

"That's a problem for sure, because those are automatic rifles and they can shoot much faster," he said.

The office of the minister of the status of women issued a news released Saturday, saying that on this day, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, we must denounce violence against women and girls in all forms.

"Canadians are asking pointed questions about how we can end this brutish behaviour once and for all.  One thing is certain: Violence against women and girls is not acceptable in our society and will not be tolerated," the statement read.

With files from La Presse Canadienne