Death of Indigenous woman in Quebec hospital unveils systemic racism in Canada

The family of a Canadian Indigenous woman who died at a hospital this week after the medical staff mocked and made racist remarks against her is suing the hospital, insisting that her death was an outcome of systemic racism.

At a Friday news conference, Carol Dube, the spouse of the 37-year-old victim Joyce Echaquan, said she died because Indigenous people are discriminated against in the Canadian province of Quebec where she lived, including in the healthcare sector.

Echaquan, a mother of seven children from Atikamekw of Manawan -- a First Nation community in Quebec -- perished on Monday after seeking treatment for a stomach pain at a hospital in the city of Joliette, about 75 kilometers north of Montreal.

Prior to her death, however, she posted a livestream video on Facebook from her hospital bed that shows hospital staff making derogatory remarks against her as she moaned and called for help.

“I think you have trouble taking care of yourself, so we’re going to do it for you,” one of the female hospital staff members in the video said in French.

“Are you done messing around? You’re dumb as hell,” another said.

“You made bad choices, my dear. What do you think your children would think seeing you like this? Think of them,” said the first woman again.

“She’s only good for sex. And we’re paying for this,” added the second woman.

Echaquan’s family says the video was recorded on Monday morning and she passed away Monday afternoon.

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“I don’t want her death to be in vain. How many human lives will we need to lose before we can recognize that systemic racism exists against us as Indigenous peoples?” said Dube, who repeatedly broke down in tears as he spoke to reporters.

“I am convinced that my partner died because systemic racism contaminated Joliette hospital and killed my partner,” he added, pointing out that his spouse “lived her final days in agony, surrounded by contemptuous people.”

Legal claims

This is while the lawyer representing the family, Jean-Francois Bertrand, declared on Friday that they are suing the hospital where Echaquan perished, as well as all hospital staff members involved or complicit in her death, for damages.

The family is also filing a complaint with a provincial human rights commission and making a claim with a provincial body (IVAC) that investigates and offers compensation to victims of criminal acts, Bertrand said.

He added they also plan to appeal for a nurse involved in Echaquan’s death to be stripped of her license and to file a request with police demanding they investigate other criminal charges that can be filed in the case.

“Obviously we’re going to take all – and I’m saying all – the resources that the law puts at our disposal to make sure that firstly all the possible light is shined on this tragic event,” Bertrand told reporters.

“We’re going to hit hard because we want to set an example … that this needs to stop.”

Dube further expressed optimism on Friday that his family’s legal filings would not only get justice for his spouse but ensure no one else suffers the same ordeal.

So far a nurse and a nursing support staff member involved in the incident have been dismissed, local media reported this week, adding that the local health agency and coroner’s office are launching investigations into the matter.

Systemic racism

Last year, a government-commissioned report found that Indigenous people faced systemic discrimination in public services across Quebec, adding that it extended to healthcare, where “prejudices against Indigenous peoples remain very widespread in interactions between caregivers and patients”.

This is while Quebec Premier Francois Legault also censured the racism experienced by Echaquan as “unacceptable” but he repeatedly insisted this week that systemic racism is not a problem in the province.

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Indigenous leaders, however, have widely rejected the notion, emphasizing that the problem of systemic racism has been laid out in multiple reports over the past several years.

Moreover, Canada’s Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller further underlined this week that what happened to Echaquan is sparking outrage across the country and bringing into the spotlight the need to tackle systemic racism in health care. 

“This is not only an isolated event,” Miller added, calling the treatment part of a “pattern of racism.”

“This is the worst face of racism and every incident of racism needs to be called out. I think what’s gut-wrenching about this is this is someone who is in their most vulnerable and dying,” he added.

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