On the evening of December 6, 1989, the Ecole Polytechnique massacre occurred in Montreal.

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1. How a Montreal Massacre survivor became a character in a Louise Penny detective novel

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/nathalie-provost-louise-penny-1.6674734

How a Montreal Massacre survivor became a character in a Louise Penny detective novel

Nathalie Provost says she was thrilled to become a part of Louise Penny’s bestselling series

Sheena Goodyear · CBC Radio · Posted: Dec 05, 2022 2:33 PM PST | Last Updated: December 6, 2022

Louise Penny says she was "very nervous" when she called École Polytechnique shooting survivor Nathalie Provost to ask whether she could write her into her new novel.

It turns out Penny had nothing to worry about: Provost was already a huge fan.

"I was really excited and amazed for this extraordinary proposition. And for me, it was clearly a yes," Provost said. "When somebody calls me to talk about Polytechnique, I say yes. We have to keep the memory alive."

Penny, a CBC reporter-turned-bestselling author, and Provost, an engineer and gun control advocate, both joined As It Happens host Nil Köksal to talk about Penny's latest novel, A World of Curiosities. The book includes a fictionalized account of the Dec. 6, 1989, École Polytechnique shooting.

Tuesday marks 33 years since shooter Marc Lépine walked into a classroom full of students at the Montreal post-secondary school, ordered the men to leave, proclaimed his hatred for feminism, then opened fire, killing 14 women and injuring 14 others.

The shooting has left an indelible mark on Quebec, and served as a Canada-wide wake-up call about the dangers of violent misogyny.

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