Indian Time - A Voice from the Eastern Door

By Kaniehtonkie.

Quebec coroner Géhane Kamel's inquiry into Joyce Echaquan's death at a hospital north of Montreal concluded racism and prejudice contributed to her death. The Quebec report acknowledges that systemic racism exists and must "make the commitment to contribute to its elimination."

Echaquan, a mother of seven, died on Sept. 28, 2020, at Centre hospitalier de Lanaudière in Saint-Charles-Borromée, Quebec. Just before her death in the hospital, she recorded a video of herself on her cell phone as health-care staff uttered racist remarks at her.

Tuesday marked the one-year anniversary of Echaquan's death; since then outrage, protests and repeated calls have been made for the province to recognize systemic racism. However, Quebec Premier François Legault has repeatedly denied the existence of systemic racism in the province. On Tuesday, Legault promised to do better, and his promise came the day before Kamel is set to publicly present her report on the death of Echaquan.

On the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR) Legault stopped a motion to make the day a provincial statutory holiday, saying it would be "too costly". Legault repeated he would not support or adopt 'Joyce's Principle', a series of recommendations drafted by Joyce Echaquan's community after her death, because Joyce's Principle mentions systemic racism.

As per CBC, 'The Quebec government must recognize the existence of systemic racism within its institutions... who concluded that the racism and prejudice the Atikamekw woman faced in hospital contributed to her death."

Kamel's report notes that Echaquan's care was affected because medical staff assumed Echaquan was suffering from withdrawal. The gastroenterologist who first saw Echaquan the day before her death suggested this theory. This in turn led him to postpone her colonoscopy exam to the next day.

Based on the gastroenterologist's theory, other health-care workers treated her as such even though there was no evidence to back it up. Kamel wrote in the report that the assumption that Echaquan was addicted to drugs was unfounded.

In the end, Echaquan died of an excess of fluid in the lungs.

As per CBC, Dr. Alain Vadeboncoeur, the medical expert who spoke during the inquiry said being held in restraints may have worsened her condition because she was lying down, and the liquid kept accumulating.

Kamel said if Echaquan had been treated differently, her death could have been prevented.

"It is therefore my duty, as coroner, to do everything within my power to avoid having another member of the Indigenous community or any other origin receive care such as the kind that was offered to Ms. Echaquan,"

"If it weren't for the video footage, it's a safe bet that this event would've never been brought to the public's attention," the report reads - referring to the nurse and patient attendant who treated Echaquan at the Centre hospitalier de Lanaudière. They denied having racial prejudices, and other health-care staff who were made aware of the video recording did not treat the matter seriously.

"When the system [gets defensive], it is the very definition of systemic racism."

Other recommendations in the report include calling on Quebec's College of Physicians and Order of Nurses to review the actions of its members leading up to Echaquan's death. The hospital should make sure to properly integrate the community liaisons within its teams and she is calling on the province's Education Ministry to make sure colleges and universities that train health-care staff teach students about the realities of Indigenous patients. Kamal also said schools should offer more internships to Indigenous students.