It took a long time before we were ready to call it a femicide<\/a>, even if it was obvious from the first frigid night. But we\u2019ve spent the last 37 years defying the sinister motives of a killer<\/a>: creating new opportunities for women in male-dominated fields; promoting equality; advocating for gun control; fighting all forms of violence against women; and honouring the legacies of the dead with scholarships and bursaries <\/a>that lift new generations of trailblazers.<\/p>\n This was necessary and important. It provided some measure of healing and a way to transform grief into something meaningful.<\/p>\n But it has become increasingly clear this is no longer enough to combat the misogyny that fuelled the massacre. Hatred of women is on the rise again. If anything, it\u2019s more poisonous than ever \u2014 and more pervasive.<\/p>\n As a new report by the federal parliamentary Standing Committee on the Status of Women<\/a> reveals, antifeminist ideologies are rampant in the echo chambers of the internet and young men are highly susceptible, whether they are deeply troubled or merely insecure. A few haphazard clicks and algorithms that serve up a diet of toxic content push many down a slippery slope into the manosphere.<\/p>\n There, they find regressive ideas about women and gender equality \u2014 and sometimes even more extreme views. There, the concept of male dominance is peddled by masculinist influencers<\/a> and predatory tech companies. There, they are taught to blame women for their problems or inadequacies and are brainwashed with a sense of biological entitlement.<\/p>\n Now, instead of one angry man stewing alone in his own rancour, social media and video games bring together like-minded individuals to reinforce macho attitudes, recruit new converts and normalize misogyny.<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean everyone who falls down this rabbit hole will pick up a weapon and commit murder. But it\u2019s unhealthy nonetheless \u2014 for young men, society at large, and the women we\u2019ve been trying to protect, nurture and elevate.<\/p>\n The repercussions are serious. It\u2019s driving a wedge between young generations of men and women, undermining intimate relationships, contaminating public discourse, increasing political polarization, and turning back the clock on women\u2019s rights.<\/p>\n It also fuels other kinds of hate \u2014 against minorities of different gender identities, races and religions.<\/p>\n And it does raise the risk of violence, be it in intimate relationships or against society at large. It can also be a stepping stone to radicalization.<\/p>\n The report describes antifeminism<\/a> as \u201cone of the fastest-growing extremist ideologies in the\u00a0West.\u201d It contains warnings from CSIS that misogynist views can be a gateway to other warped philosophies that threaten national security.<\/p>\n Only a week after the report was quietly tabled, we saw the dangers it foretold play out tragically in the streets of Montreal. A young man from Alberta with a grudge and a gun apparently acted on a mishmash of grievances \u2014 another wake-up call about misogyny in our midst.<\/p>\n During a shootout in C\u00f4te-des-Neiges, Const. Mohamed Lamine Benredouane lost his life<\/a>, the first Montreal police officer killed in the line of duty in 24 years. A bystander, Michel Mizrahi, also died<\/a>, though he may have been caught in the crossfire while trying to guide bystanders to safety. And another Montreal officer \u2014 a woman \u2014 was seriously wounded.\u00a0<\/p>\n After the gunman was dispatched by police, a 104-page manifesto<\/a> was uncovered, suggesting he\u2019d been influenced by aspects of incel culture, in which men blame women for their lack of sexual prowess. The document seems to be Exhibit A for the cross-pollination and convergence of antiwoman, antifeminist, anti-Zionist, anticapitalist, antipornography, antisocial, antipolice and antidemocratic sentiment described by the committee.<\/p>\n But that\u2019s where it ends, not where it starts.<\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n According to the report, which is the fruit of written briefs and testimony by more than two dozen organizations, groups, agencies and individuals, it often begins with lonely boys and struggling young men who lack positive male role models and are vulnerable to exploitation.<\/p>\n It stems from widening socio-economic disparities and increasing political polarization. It is perpetuated by powerful interests and predatory corporations in the pursuit of profit.\u00a0<\/p>\n In other words, misogyny is everywhere, out in the open, and being actively normalized.<\/p>\n Its effects are apparent in classrooms, from primary schools to universities. It\u2019s on display in locker rooms<\/a> and gyms, where bro culture can quickly morph into something malignant \u2014 and far-right groups have recently been grooming men to join white supremacist movements.<\/p>\n We should be worried about the effect of these disturbing attitudes on our daughters after all these years of trying to make them safer. But we should be equally concerned about our sons being corrupted by toxic masculinity.<\/p>\n Not to absolve anyone of responsibility, but some young men may lack the judgment to see through these well-oiled narratives, the report states, or their resistance may be eroded by groupthink.<\/p>\n The committee offered 14 recommendations to repel the long reach of misogyny, from laws that hold tech companies accountable for the harmful content they push, to bolstering local media to counter disinformation, to ensuring there is more diversity in leadership roles, including greater representation by women and minorities.<\/p>\n But the\u00a0simplest and most urgent need is for greater awareness, not only among parents, teachers, decision-makers and public-opinion shapers, but young men and women themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cPrebunking,\u201d the report suggests, \u201cinvolves educating people before they are exposed to misinformation or violent messages, so that they are better prepared and able to think critically about these issues.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s no cure for this scourge. But there\u2019s no choice other than to inoculate a generation against misogyny \u2014 in hopes of putting antifeminists, masculinists, alphas, incels, extremists, creeps, losers or whatever you want to call them back in their place.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/0626-city-protest-0866_303934994.jpg\")
Protesters demonstrate against incel ideology on Thursday, June 25, 2026, three days after the shootout in C\u00f4te-des-Neiges. A new report by the federal parliamentary Standing Committee on the Status of Women reveals antifeminist ideologies are rampant in the echo chambers of the internet and young men are highly susceptible. Allen McInnis \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/0706-hanes.jpg\")
A memorial at \u00c9cole Polytechnique lists the 14 women who were murdered in the Dec. 6, 1989 massacre. We\u2019ve spent the last 37 years defying the sinister motives of a killer, but our efforts are not enough to combat misogyny, Allison Hanes writes. Tyrel Featherstone \/ Montreal Gazette files<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/0606-hanes-3.jpg\")
A Montreal police officer tells pedestrians to take cover during an active shooter situation in C\u00f4te-des-Neiges on Monday, June 22, 2026. Evan Buhler \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n
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