The Manitoba Federation of Labour Women’s Committee held its annual Day of Remembrance Memorial Luncheon on Friday December 6th in the Union Centre Auditorium.

December 6th is when women in the labour movement and their supporters, come together to remember and honour the women and girls who have died as a result of violence or their remains have been discovered, over the past year.

Since this date in 2012, we have mourned the death or discovery of ten Manitoba women and girls who have died as the result of violence.

December 6th was chosen as the Day of Remembrance by women’s groups across Canada to commemorate the December 6th 1989 massacre of 14 women at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique.

The Hon. Erna Braun, Minister of Labour and Immigration, spoke to the women, announcing official recognition of the day, on behalf of the Government of Manitoba.

CLC Executive Vice-President Barb Byers used the event to offcially launch first nation-wide survey on the impact of domestic violence on workers and workplaces, a joint project undertaken by the Canadian Labour Congress and the University of Western Ontario’s Centre for Research and Education on Violence against Women and Children (CREVAWC).  The survey will gather data about the prevalence and impact of domestic violence in the workplace, enabling unions, employers, advocates and government to collaborate on developing effective public policy and collective agreement language.

December 6th is a time for us to remember and mourn for women and girls who have lost their lives to violence.  But it is also a time to commit to action.  Unions are well placed to help and support working families to defeat domestic violence and to help individuals who may be experiencing it.  Using tools like the national survey will help us find the solution.