Quebec must acknowledge systemic racism in its new cultural safety bill: official opposition

Quebec's official opposition wants the province to adopt Joyce's Principle in its bill on improving "cultural safety" in the health and social services network.

The principle, created following the death of Joyce Echaquan in 2020, would require Quebec to recognize the existence of systemic racism within its borders.

"As requested by all the groups we heard from, the addition of Joyce's Principle to a section of the bill is an essential condition for us to support the final version of Bill 32," reads a statement from André Morin, opposition critic for Indigenous relations.

"If the [Coalition Avenir Québec] refuses to listen to the demands of First Nations and Inuit, we will not be complicit in its stubbornness. The safety of everyone in our healthcare network is non-negotiable."

On Sunday, the Quebec Liberal Party (QLP) announced it would table an amendment to the bill.

Introduced in June, Bill 32, "An Act to implement the cultural safety approach within the health and social services network," requires providers to consider Indigenous people's "cultural and historical realities" when treating them.

But the bill has been heavily criticized by Quebec's College of Physicians and numerous Indigenous groups, who argue it's impossible to achieve cultural safety in the health network without first acknowledging the root issue.

The Coalition Avenir Québec government has repeatedly denied the existence of systemic racism in the province, a subject catapulted into the spotlight by the death of Joyce Echaquan three years ago.

In September 2020, Echaquan, an Atikamekw woman, live-streamed her interactions with staff at a Joliette hospital. The video captured workers hurling racist insults and derogatory comments at Echaquan, who died shortly after of a pulmonary edema.

A coroner later ruled the 37-year-old did not receive the appropriate care because staff wrongly assumed she was suffering from withdrawal.

A call to action, Joyce's Principle," was formed in the ensuing months.

"Joyce's Principle aims to guarantee to all Indigenous people the right of equitable access, without any discrimination, to all social and health services, as well as the right to enjoy the best possible physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health," the movement's official documentation reads.

The principle has since been adopted by the federal government as well as several unions, universities and professional orders -- but not by the Quebec government.

On Wednesday, during a public hearing in review of Bill 32, the Joyce's Principle Office walked out in protest.

The QLP says it will table its amendment to the bill during its "detailed study."