Montreal
If Joyce Echaquan were white, she would still be alive, Quebec coroner says
Echaquan's family meet with reporters, husband says she
died 'because she was Indigenous'
The Quebec coroner who presided over a three-week inquiry into the death of Joyce Echaquan said she believes the Atikamekw woman would still be alive today if she were white.
Echaquan, a mother of seven, died on Sept. 28, 2020, shortly after recording herself as health-care staff in a hospital north of Montreal hurled racist remarks at her.
Her death and the footage leading up to it sparked outrage and protests, as well as calls for the province to acknowledge systemic racism.
After her report into Echaquan's death was released on Friday, coroner Géhane Kamel met with reporters in Trois-Rivières, Que., to explain her findings.
She concluded that racism played a role in Echaquan's death and that her death was not from natural causes but "accidental" because she did not receive the care she was entitled to.
Asked by a reporter in French if she thought Echaquan would still be alive today if she were white, Kamel replied: "Je pense que oui," or "I think so."
Echaquan's loved ones, who held a news conference of their own on Tuesday, agree.
"Joyce died," her husband Carol Dubé said before pausing for several seconds, "because she was Indigenous."
Dubé was accompanied by his children, Echaquan's parents, the family's lawyer, and Constant Awashish, the grand chief of the Atikamekw Nation.
Dubé thanked the coroner for her work, adding that there were several lies and contradictions during some of the inquiry's testimony, making it difficult for the family.
"Our healing will come through truth," he said. "And today, a small [part] of that truth finally sees the light of day."
The family's lawyer said they will soon file a lawsuit, with the details to come over the next few days.
They also plan to file complaints with the province's college of physicians, order of nurses and the human rights commission.
WATCH | Echaquan died because she was Indigenous, husband says:
'System imprinted with prejudice'
In her report, Kamel concluded Echaquan's death could have been prevented with better care from staff at the hospital in Joliette, Que.
"Although this may be difficult to hear, it is a system imprinted with prejudice and biases that contributed to [health-care staff] not taking the situation seriously," Kamel said Tuesday.
She also said that Echaquan was "infantilized" and labelled as a manipulative drug abuser, despite there being no evidence of this.
Kamel said the inquiry was a "difficult but necessary" process, and some of the testimony "shook her on a human level."
"Through her death, Joyce left us an extremely important legacy," Kamel said while fighting back tears. "It would be extremely sad if we learned nothing from her death."
Echaquan died of pulmonary edema.
Kamel's report notes that Echaquan's care was affected because medical staff assumed she was suffering from withdrawal, which turned out to be untrue.
Premier continues denial of systemic racism
Kamel also issued several recommendations, the top one being that the Quebec government must recognize the existence of systemic racism within its institutions.
"Systemic racism doesn't imply that each individual that is part of this system is racist. It implies that the system — either through prejudices that are tolerated, reprehensible acts or its inaction — contributes to trivializing and marginalizing Indigenous communities," Kamel said during the news conference.
"Once my observations are made and my recommendations are sent to the different [provincial] ministries and organizations, it is up to them to decide if they'll seize this opportunity for a dialogue."
On Tuesday, Premier François Legault once again denied the existence of systemic racism, reiterating a position he has held onto for more than a year.
Legault said the definition of systemic racism that he agrees with is different than the one used by Kamel.
The premier said as far as he's concerned, systemic racism would have to be organizational, in the form of directives coming from people in positions of authority that support racist policies.
Using the province's health-care system as an example, Legault said the behaviour of staff or people in management doesn't mean there is a system in place to discriminate against Indigenous people.
"For me, a system is coming from upstairs, coming from the top people, and I don't see this in the health-care network," he said.
Legault also said that systemic racism existed in Quebec when residential schools were in place but that he doesn't see any evidence of it now.
He once again urged Quebecers not to get bogged down with definitions and to agree that racism — systemic or not — exists in Quebec and must be dealt with.
"Yes, there is is prejudice and discrimination and racism, and we need all Quebecers to work together to fight it," the premier said.
Within the regional health board that oversees the hospital where Echaquan died, 12,000 employees have received at least three hours of cultural safety training, Legault said.
He also highlighted — as proof the province wants to improve the health care Indigenous patients receive — that some members of the Atikamekw community have been given prominent roles on the health board.
In the wake of Echaquan's death, Atikamekw leaders in Quebec drafted Joyce's Principle, a set of recommendations meant to guarantee health care for Indigenous people, free of discrimination, by having it enshrined in provincial law.
But the province has refused to draft legislation that included tenets from Joyce's Principle because they also referenced systemic racism.
Joyce Echaquan's courage has empowered Indigenous people to speak up, says grand chief
Quebec coroner says people never would have known
about Echaquan's mistreatment if she didn't film it
One of Joyce Echaquan's final acts before she died was to film her mistreatment at the hands of hospital staff in Joliette, Que.
Her courage has emboldened other Indigenous people across the country to speak up about racism, says Atikamekw Nation Grand Chief Constant Awashish.
Echaquan, an Atikamekw woman, died in hospital of pulmonary edema on Sept. 28, 2020, shortly after recording herself as staff members hurled racist remarks at her.
Quebec coroner Géhane Kamel said Tuesday that if Echaquan were white, she would have received the care she needed and still be alive today. The lawyer representing Echaquan's parents said they will soon file a lawsuit, with the details to come over the next few days.
The top recommendation in Kamel's report into Echaquan's death is for the Quebec government to recognize the existence of systemic racism within its institutions.
It's a step that Premier François Legault has refused to take. On Tuesday, he blamed Echaquan's death on "a few employees" who "didn't deliver the right services to her."
Awashish says it's time for the premier to revise his position. Here is part of his conversation with As It Happens host Carol Off.
What do those words from François Legault say to you following this report on the death of Joyce Echaquan?
It's kind of difficult to hear those kinds of comments. I know his position, and he's been having the same position for way before he was in power. And I think he's just seeing ... the result, and he doesn't see the cause.
Because there's a cause of ... why the stereotypes of First Nations [exist], why First Nations are having a hard time today, why we are, like, 60, 70, some places 90 years behind in terms of social development. It's not by coincidence. Because there is a system put in place.
That's what he doesn't want to see. And even [Premier Doug] Ford in Ontario recognizes systemic racism. So I don't understand why he's tried to keep on going and denying there's systemic racism.
The coroner in Quebec does recognize that systemic racism was a contributor to the death of Joyce Echaquan. Though she says that the death was accidental, because she did not receive the care she was entitled to because of racism. So does it seem as though the premier is accepting even that part of the report?
It's clear what the coroner said. It's clear in other reports [that] First Nations are living in systemic racism constantly. And he's tried to say it like it's an isolated event. But from what I hear, from what has been brought up now here and there by other members, other First Nations, there's a lot of situations like that happening.
When the big boss talks this way, it gives the chance to those kind of people to act like they will always be protected. And I understand that he doesn't want to recognize the systemic racism, but it's clear everywhere. It's clear for a lot of organizations. It's clear for different reports, different commissions. And even the coroner now says that … if [Echaquan] was not a First Nation woman, she would get all the services, the health services, that she was entitled to.
More and more First Nations [people] are talking about it. They feel like now they're being listened to. That's the effect of what Joyce Echaquan left behind.- Constant Awashish, grand chief of Atikamekw Nation
The coroner said that if Joyce Echaquan had been white, she would not have died. This wouldn't have happened to her. But the coroner also says that if it wasn't for her courage to actually record the racism, the abuse she was getting in the hospital, and to make that public … we wouldn't have known about this. And so what impact has all this had on your community?
Like you said, it took her a lot of courage. And I think this courage gave people empowerment and gave them also courage to denounce that kind of situation. And since then, I think more and more are coming up, are coming forward, to talk about the situations that are similar, the situations where they feel uncomfortable, where they're being mistreated or they're being called names. And more and more First Nations [people] are talking about it. They feel like now they're being listened to. That's the effect of what Joyce Echaquan left behind. It's this positive effect.
And I think, too, non-Indigenous people, for a long time ... couldn't comprehend or couldn't believe it, or were not sure about it. Like, I think it's a natural reflex from anybody. It doesn't matter where you're from. I think most of the time, people need to see to believe. And that's what she contributed.
When I talk to non-First Nations [people] here and now, everybody … wants more justice. They want to know more about what happened to First Nations, why they are in this situation. Why we, for many years, for many decades, we taught First Nations in a different way — like stereotypes, bad things about them, all those different things that have been put in the public [imagination] about First Nations.
Now people want to comprehend why. Why are we thinking like that? We are neighbours. We're so close to each other, but we don't know each other. I think that's what Joyce Echaquan contributed, is this awakening. And people are really realizing that we share so many values, common values. And now why are we not investing in those common values and creating something better for the future?
Do you think that despite what the premier is saying, that … a lot of Quebecers are starting to realize what is happening, the racism that exists towards Indigenous people?
I think we need to name the cause the way it has to be named, which is systemic racism. And now we see the result. And the result is the people being racist against the First Nations [people].
That's the kind of message that the premier of Quebec … doesn't want to admit.
Written by Sheena Goodyear with files from CBC Montreal. Interview produced by Kevin Robertson. Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
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