5 years after her death, some say Joyces Principle is no closer to being implemented

Sen. Michéle Audette says she still remembers how she felt after seeing the video Joyce Echaquan posted on social media while in a Quebec hospital. “The rage that I felt that day or that night and the following days, it’s still present,” she said. “It’s still inside of me.” Audette took part in the conference outside Montreal on the anniversary of Echaquan’s death. The conference, organized by Joyce’s Principle’s office, gathered healthcare workers and First Nations political representatives to address what action has been taken since Echaquan’s death. Echaquan, from the community of Manawan north of Montreal, died on Sept. 28, 2020 after being transported to Joliette hospital with stomach pain. The 37-year-old Atikamekw mother of seven went live on Facebook filming female staff insulting and mocking her. The video of her seeking help and being ridiculed circulated widely on social media and prompted widespread indignation across the country. After releasing her report in Echaquan’s death, the Quebec coroner said the existence of systemic racism in the way she was treated in Joliette was undeniable. Coroner Gehane Kame recommended the government recognize the existence of systemic racism and make a commitment to root it out of institutions. “We have witnessed an unacceptable death, and we must ensure that it is not in vain,” Kamel told reporters. “It is unacceptable that large sections of our society deny such a well-documented reality.” When asked if the mother of seven would still be alive if she were a white woman, Kamel replied, “I think so.” Another response from Echaquan’s death was Joyce’s Principle which calls for all Indigenous Peoples to have equitable access to all social and health services without discrimination. Since her death, some institutions have adopted parts of the principle, including the Quebec College of Physicians. But the Quebec government has not. In fact, Quebec won’t acknowledge the existence of systemic racism in the province despite Echaquan’s death and its own Viens report. Gregory Kelly, the former Liberal opposition critic for Indigenous Affairs at the National Assembly said that “Joyce is our George Floyd.” He said Joyce’s Principle was “rejected” because of two words; “systemic racism.” Ian Lafreniére, the minister responsible for First Nations and Inuit relations wasn’t available for an interview. A statement from his office said that people fixate on the term systemic racism, while the province believes the root cause must be dealt with. “We have integrated several key elements of Joyce’s Principle into Bill 32 on the implementation of cultural safety in the health care system,” the emails said. “We also conducted two major awareness campaigns on indigenous realities in order to better inform and raise awareness among the entire population.” According to Audette, who is the Innu community of Uashat mak Mani-Utenam, Quebec hasn’t done enough. “I look for a new government that will embrace Joyce’s Principle and right away after embracing, recognizing that there is systemic racism, not only discrimination, but racism,” she said. Continue Reading