Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: Honourable senators, in Quebec, International Women’s Day took place against a backdrop of gender-based violence and disturbing studies that have raised fears of setbacks.

Since the beginning of the year, so in just two months, there have been seven femicides in Quebec that have made the headlines. That’s unusually high. The following women have been murdered: Sonia Maricela Gonzalez Vasquez, Marie-Kate Ottawa, Véronic Champagne, Susana Rocha Cruz, Mary Tukalak Iquiquq, Tadjan’ah Désir and, most recently, Danielle Lascelles.

Ms. Lascelles was allegedly killed in Saint-Jérôme by her partner, who, like many others, had a history of domestic violence. The victim’s brother said we need to find a way to better protect women in Quebec, that they deserve more respect than that.

Another chilling story, one that is reminiscent of the British hit series Adolescence, took place on the grounds of a Montreal high school. In an interview with La Presse, the student recounted that she was late for school, so she was walking quickly when she noticed that a former classmate was following her. He suddenly started stabbing her, near her eye, once, then twice.

She thought she was going to die. The teenager kept repeating one thing to her attacker: “I’m sorry.” She recognized him right away. She had rejected the boy several times. The girl survived and agreed to share her story to denounce violence against girls.

Is this an isolated incident or a symptom of a deteriorating climate in our schools? Professor Francis Dupuis-Déri from the Université du Québec à Montréal interviewed 110 people in 200 public schools in eight regions of Quebec. The vast majority of teachers who took part believe that the problems of misogyny, homophobia and transphobia are more prevalent than before and that it is primarily boys who are responsible. It is a minority of boys, yes, but these boys are the ones insulting girls.

Here are some examples: “Your place is in the kitchen.” Girls are referred to as bitches or whores. Some boys say that girls should not want to work in certain male-dominated fields and that they should instead stay home and take care of their children and their husband. Some boys also trivialize sexual violence.

Female teachers who say they are feminist are accused of being anti-men. They are told that they are useless to society. This is a qualitative study, so it is impossible to know to what extent these misogynistic remarks are widespread. However, the data shows that girls express little overt intolerance.

Let us not turn a blind eye to these worrying signs. Social media and influencers are contributing to this, so we must find a way to create a healthy and inclusive climate in our schools. Thank you.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.