If Trudeau was really a feminist he would use his power to fight systemic violence not use band-aid solutions

Each year on Dec. 6, we gather in solidarity and remembrance of the 14 women murdered at L’Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal in 1989.

26 years ago, a gunman, fuelled by misogynistic hatred, invaded the university and opened fire primarily on women.

For this year’s memorial, we ask our allies to recognize the effects of systemic violence in the lives of women, as well as Indigenous and racialized peoples. It is systemic violence that has impeded us from truly regaining control of our lives to achieve our full potential.

For too long, capitalism and colonialism holds us back through racialized poverty, gender based and sexual violence, barriers for immigrant women, murders of Indigenous women, homophobia, transphobia, classism, ableism, carding, blaming and shaming survivors, lack of education and child care, biased legal and criminal systems and all other forms of oppression.

In order to create change, we must recognize these structures as being responsible for all the systemic violence we have historically experienced.

If our Prime Minister was indeed a feminist, as he publicly claimed, he would use his power and influence to fight against systemic violence and not use band-aid solutions that feed the historic patriarchal system, such as maintaining a legal system that re-victimizes rape survivors.

By now, Trudeau should have created policies that are so based in feminism, he would not have to ever say he is one. Women and people from marginalized groups would have transformed their lives.

Living feminism is fighting the status quo, fighting for rights, having control of our bodies, doing what needs to be done because we know our leaders won’t do it unless we fight for it.

We all know that we are far from experiencing life from a feminist perspective. We are still witnessing systemic violence daily. Women are still struggling with work-life balance, finding affordable housing and daycare. In Ontario alone, 20 women were murdered this year and nationwide the number is even more staggering.

We challenge our allies and political leaders to display your feminism by actively listening to women and marginalized people. Our lived experiences qualify us as the only ones capable of strategizing our own escape.

If you listen, we will share our feminist plans to dismantle the structures and end systematic violence. This archaic system has marginalized and enslaved too many of us for too long and prevented all of us from experiencing a more just and egalitarian society.