To Curb Mass Violence, Act on Misogyny

Three years ago, the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian civilian history took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Twenty-two people were killed and many more were harmed.

A federal-provincial Mass Casualty Commission was convened in October 2020 to investigate and provide recommendations that could help all of us better understand what happened and how to stop it from happening again. The commission’s report was released days after the 2023 federal budget, which did not commit any new money for domestic violence and women’s shelters.

The commissions report made 17 recommendations on how to prevent violence against women, and how to respond to this type of incident.

Reading the report and learning that B.C. had the second highest number of women killed last year, we are reminded that British Columbia doesn’t have an action plan on gender-based violence, which the BC NDP government promised to complete by the end of 2022.

That day in April 2020 after the news broke, my heart sank when I learned that the perpetrator began with an attack on his partner.

One of Canada’s worst tragedies was yet again connected to domestic violence.

Misogynistic beliefs underlie all of Canada’s worst mass shootings that have taken place in my lifetime. While the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre shooting is the most infamous, the 2018 Toronto van attack perpetrator was radicalized by online incel subculture. In addition to his racist anti-Muslim views, the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooter routinely attacked feminists online.

The latter two events have not been widely discussed in the context of violent misogyny. This is a mistake: by failing to examine the underlying toxic views of the perpetrators we miss out on a sense of urgency to address them.

Looking outside of Canada we can see the same pattern. An analysis of FBI data on mass shootings found 57 per cent between 2009-15 included a spouse, former spouse or other family member among the victims.

Misogynistic beliefs, a connection to incel culture or a history of domestic violence have been reported in many infamous U.S. mass shootings. These beliefs are founded on the notion that men have entitlements over people of marginalized genders — the right to control their partners and family members, to dictate the rights of others and to have access to women’s bodies.

The BC government should act

With recent news that the federal government is cutting funding to women’s shelters, the province needs to step up to fill any necessary gaps.

As elected officials, we can fully fund domestic violence shelters and victim supports. We can invest in public awareness campaigns and ensure that children learn to identify toxic belief systems and abusive behaviour in school. We can improve economic security for people of marginalized genders who are disproportionately victims of domestic and gender-based violence.

However, the government can only do so much. Canadians can take on a shared responsibility for combatting misogynistic attitudes and behaviour.

We must be vigilant and uncompromising, even when the behaviour doesn’t yet constitute outright physical abuse. Violence exists on a spectrum. People who know the Nova Scotia shooter say that his jealous treatment of his girlfriend was a “red flag.”

Indeed, experts say that misogynistic treatment of women and other family members by a perpetrator is often observed before it escalates to mass violence. Before the perpetrators terrorize society, they terrorize those closest to them.

Even “lesser” instances of misogyny are part of the problem. As I mentioned earlier, an increasing number of mass murders were radicalized online through incel forums. Sexist memes and abusive online comments are part of normalizing and perpetuating this dangerous subculture. The responsibility for combating misogyny must be shared by everyone, which means that we all need to speak out when we encounter instances of misogyny, educate ourselves, and build the underlying conditions that support gender diversity and inclusion.

We need to do all of this, urgently, and all the time — not just in the wake of a tragedy.

In particular, men can be proactive in their efforts to show they are united in the fight for equality. People of marginalized genders have long been at the forefront of fighting to address gender-based violence, taking on the work of advocating for policy change and building victim support organizations. Men can take a greater role in this work by fostering an alternative vision of masculinity that is not tied to the control or domination of people of marginalized genders.

This need not be a daunting task. The majority of men already model equitable treatment of others and much progress towards equality has been made. As we all embrace more learning and open dialogue, we will build a society where everyone can enjoy a healthy sense of identity that doesn’t diminish or threaten anyone else. By sharing the responsibility for combating gender-based violence and discrimination, we will all share in the rewards of a more peaceful, equitable country.