Chief of Joyce Echaquan's community says trust in Quebec health-care system returning
Members of an Atikamekw community northeast of Montreal are slowly regaining their trust in Quebec's health-care system, a year after Joyce Echaquan died in a hospital northeast of Montreal, according to Chief Paul-Emile Ottawa.
"Confidence is slowly returning," Ottawa, the chief of the Atikamekw Council of Manawan, told reporters Thursday at a joint press conference with the regional health authority that manages the hospital where Echaquan died in September 2020.
He said he's "very happy and particularly proud" of the steps taken by the regional health board to improve its relationship with the Atikamekw community.
"We're taking our first steps, but never has such collaboration existed in the past," Ottawa said. "There are changes that have taken place, but there are definitely still things to improve. So, we're working very hard to ensure that our goals of reconciliation are met."
Earlier this week, coroner Gehane Kamel said Echaquan, an Atikamekw mother of seven, would likely still be alive if she were a white woman and that systemic racism "undeniably" contributed to her death. Kamel's report found that her demise was accidental, but avoidable.
The coroner concluded Echaquan's initial diagnosis was based on prejudice and she wasn't properly monitored before finally being transferred to intensive care. Echaquan died of a pulmonary edema that was linked to a rare heart condition.
Maryse Poupart, who was named CEO of the regional health authority in March, said she welcomed the coroner's recommendations for her agency, adding that all eight recommendations had either been implemented or were part of existing plans.
Kamel also recommended that the Quebec government acknowledge the existence of systemic racism and root it out of institutions. Quebec Premier Francois Legault has denied that systemic racism exists in Quebec.
When asked if she acknowledged the existence of systemic racism, Poupart said she appreciated things have to change at the health board, but she said she wouldn't enter into a debate on semantics.
The health agency has hired several staff members to help improve relations with Atikamekw patients and a woman from Manawan has been appointed to the authority's board, Poupart said. Thirty per cent of employees have completed a sensitivity training session, she said, adding that a more in-depth training program will be implemented later this fall.
A designated staff member to receive complaints from members of Indigenous communities will soon be hired, Poupart said. Steps are also being taken to improve staff-patient ratios, another issue that was raised in the coroner's report.
Poupart said the process of improving relations with the Atikamekw people is ongoing and reconciliation takes time.
"We can't think that it will be done quickly -- that would be a monumental mistake in terms of cultural security," she said.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 7, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'No sign of life' at crash site of helicopter carrying Iran's president
Rescuers on Monday found a helicopter that was carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, which had crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran the day before.
Court eases internet restrictions for Sask. man who matched with a 15-year-old girl on Tinder
A Saskatchewan man who had a sexual encounter with a 15-year-old girl he met on Tinder successfully appealed to shorten release conditions barring him from online dating.
Stittsville residents seeking answers as bylaw cracks down on street basketball nets
Stittsville residents on Kearnsley Way are seeking answers after an unusual bylaw crackdown on Friday. Every home with a basketball net received a ticket instructing homeowners to remove their nets from the road.
'A horrible way to start the summer': 3 killed in serious boat crash on lake north of Kingston, Ont.
Three people were killed and five others were injured Saturday night following a boat crash on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
What do we know so far about the mysterious crash of the helicopter carrying Iran's president?
The apparent crash of a helicopter carrying Iran's president and foreign minister on Sunday sent shock waves around the region.
Ex-partner charged with first-degree murder after 55-year-old woman killed in Montreal
Less than 24 hours after Montreal's 12th homicide investigation began, Montreal police confirmed that a 55-year-old woman's death in St. Michel is the island's 13th homicide. The woman's ex-spouse has been charged with first-degree murder.
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.
VIDEO Born without front legs, this dog has been inspiring the world for 3 years: Dresden farm owner
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
Toxic drugs circulating in northeastern Ont., police say
Canada’s largest First Nations police service, the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service issued a community safety alert as extremely toxic drugs are likely circulating in many of the communities it serves.