Nine years have passed since the Montreal Massacre, but the reasons for marking its sombre anniversary were clear to the women who attended a memorial ceremony at Wilfrid Laurier University on Thursday.

At the University of Fredericton in New Brunswick, Suzanne LaPlante Edward stood in front of a picture of her 21-year-old daughter, Anne-Marie -- who was one of Lepine's victims -- and declared victory in her personal battle for gun control in Canada.

Canadian Press Students comfort one another as they listen to speeches on campus following a march Thursday morning to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. (Suzanne LaPlante) Edward