People across Canada have been left grieving and shocked after a gunman went on a shooting rampage across central Nova Scotia, leaving 22 victims dead. The shooter was shot to death.

The massacre began in the tiny community of Portapique, N.S., in Colchester County on April 18, and ended about 13 hours later at a gas station in Enfield, N.S., on April 19.

As feminists, advocates, and experts in the field of male violence against women and girls we know most mass murders begin with violence in the home. It is often wives, partners, and children of men who kill who are the first victims. The sustained abuse and assaults they face are often the most obvious signs of the murderer’s future mass violence. These patterns of abuse and assaults begin days, months, and even years before the killings.

Holding all victims of misogynistic violence in our hearts, we demand clarity from the RCMP as to the femicide elements of this crime. We demand an inquiry with a feminist analysis of the violence. We demand an end to male violence against women and girls.