FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 3, 1998

EDMONTON — For the third year in a row, the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) will be hosting a meeting aimed at developing concrete strategies to combat violence against women.

The meeting will be held in Edmonton on December 7th to mark the 9th anniversary of the massacre of 14 women at l'école polytechnique in Montreal. The women, all engineering students, were killed by a gunman on December 6, 1989.

The AFL has been commemorating the massacre and promoting awareness of violence against women since 1990. Two years ago, the AFL Women's Committee made a commitment to go one-step further by holding annual workshops to develop practical strategies to address the problem.

In 1996, delegates to the AFL workshop discussed strategies for combating violence in the workplace. Last year, the scope of discussion was expanded to deal with the issue of workplace harassment as well as violence.

This year, the AFL workshop will focus on developing strategies to promote increased public awareness of the problem of violence against women. One of the ideas up for consideration is the creation of a permanent, public monument to women victims of violence.

"Violence against women is a problem that needs to be dealt with from several different angles," says AFL president Audrey Cormack. "Obviously, it needs to be addressed by improving laws and policing. It also needs to be addressed in the workplace through the negotiation of contracts that protect against violence and harassment. But it also needs to be addressed through public education campaigns. That’s where the monument comes in."

Cormack says a permanent monument would help remind Albertans of the serious nature of the problem of violence against women and, more importantly, it would "remind us that we all have a responsibility to help stamp out violence."

"It is important to mourn and it is important to remember what happened in Montreal nine years ago," says Cormack. "But it’s also important to take action. That's why our annual workshops are so important. We are giving people — both women and men — the tools they need to actively fight violence against women. Through education, activism and collective bargaining we will be able to turn the tide on violence."
Please Note: Because of the sensitive nature of the subject matter, the meeting will not be open to the media. Instead, President Cormack can be reached for comment before and after the event.

For more information call:
Audrey Cormack, President: 483-3021