Ethan Rhodes
Joyce Echaquan, a 37-year-old Indigenous Canadian woman, checked herself into a hospital in Saint-Charles-Borromee, Quebec, due to severe stomach pain. Echaquan had a history of heart complications and diabetes, requiring a pacemaker. She frequently visited the hospital and often recorded her visits on Facebook Live because she did not trust the medical staff and did not speak French. During her stay, she was restrained to her bed and given sedatives without further tests when she complained of heart palpitations. She died on September 28, 2020, after filming a video of hospital staff hurling racist remarks at her. Her death sparked outrage across Canada, highlighting the systemic racism faced by Indigenous citizens in the country's healthcare system.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of admission | 26 September 2020 |
| Reason for admission | Stomach pains |
| Treatment | Given sedatives, placed in restraints |
| Cause of death | Pulmonary edema |
| Date of death | 28 September 2020 |
| Circumstances of death | Verbal abuse by hospital staff, racist remarks, mistreatment |
| Autopsy results | September 2021 |
| Official cause of death | Pulmonary edema |
| Contributing factors | Racism, prejudice, incorrect assumptions about drug withdrawal |
| Coroner's findings | Racism and prejudice contributed to death |
| Coroner's recommendations | Recognise systemic racism, eliminate systemic racism |
| Family's response | Filed a lawsuit against the Quebec public health agency |
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What You'll Learn
- Joyce Echaquan was hospitalised due to severe stomach pain
- She was restrained to her bed, allegedly at her request
- Echaquan recorded footage of racist insults from hospital staff
- She died of pulmonary edema, with racism contributing to her death
- Her death sparked protests and calls for recognising systemic racism
Joyce Echaquan was hospitalised due to severe stomach pain
Joyce Echaquan, a 37-year-old Indigenous Canadian woman, was hospitalised at the Centre Hospitalier de Lanaudière in Saint-Charles-Borromee, Quebec, due to severe stomach pain. She had made the 200-kilometre journey from Manawan to Saint-Charles-Borromée by ambulance. Echaquan had a history of heart complications and had a pacemaker. She did not speak French and so could not understand the hospital staff, who spoke to her only in French. Due to her distrust of medical staff, she would record Facebook Live videos during her hospital visits, which her cousin would translate.
Echaquan was restrained to her bed, allegedly at her request, though the coroner expressed doubt about this, calling it "absurd". While in the hospital, Echaquan was subjected to racist insults from hospital staff members who called her stupid and said she was better off dead. She filmed herself in distress, calling for urgent help, and livestreamed the incident on Facebook. The video sparked outrage across Canada, drawing attention to the systemic racism faced by Indigenous citizens in the country's healthcare system.
During her hospital stay, Echaquan became agitated and complained of heart palpitations. She was given sedatives, and no further tests were conducted. According to the coroner, Géhane Kamel, Echaquan's palpitations should have raised red flags among the healthcare staff, given her medical history. Kamel concluded that Echaquan's initial diagnosis was based on prejudice and that she was not properly monitored before being transferred to intensive care.
Echaquan died on September 28, 2020, moments after recording the footage of her mistreatment. Her official cause of death was pulmonary edema, though the coroner ruled that racism played a role in her death. Echaquan's family believes she was given morphine, a drug to which she was allergic. The treatment she received at the hospital, where employees wrongly assumed she was suffering from drug withdrawal, contributed to her death.
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She was restrained to her bed, allegedly at her request
Joyce Echaquan, a 37-year-old Indigenous Canadian woman, checked herself into a hospital in Saint-Charles-Borromee, Quebec, due to severe stomach pain. Echaquan had a history of heart complications that required a pacemaker. She did not trust the medical staff and did not speak French, so she would record Facebook Live videos during her hospital visits, with a cousin translating. Echaquan was admitted to the hospital on September 26, 2020, and restrained to her bed, allegedly at her request. However, the coroner expressed doubt about this allegation, calling it "absurd".
Echaquan's family has said that they intend to file a lawsuit against the hospital. They believe she was judged and not listened to, and that her treatment was a result of that judgement. Echaquan's husband, Carol Dubé, stated that he is committed to changing a system that discriminates against Indigenous families. He believes his wife was judged for having multiple children, stating, "Joyce is dead because she was Indigenous."
During her hospital stay, Echaquan posted several live videos in which she recorded hospital staff insulting her in French. In one video, an employee asked her if she was "done acting stupid," while another told her that she was only "good for sex." Echaquan died on September 28, 2020, moments after recording footage of herself in the hospital as health-care staff made racist remarks. Her official cause of death was pulmonary edema, and it was found that the treatment she received at the hospital contributed to her death.
A three-week inquiry by the coroner, Géhane Kamel, concluded that Echaquan's death was an undeniable case of racism and that the racism and prejudice she faced contributed to her death. Kamel stated that if Echaquan had been treated differently, her death could have been prevented. Dr. Alain Vadeboncoeur, a medical expert who spoke during the inquiry, said that being held in restraints may have worsened her condition, as she was lying down, allowing fluid to accumulate in her lungs.
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Echaquan recorded footage of racist insults from hospital staff
Joyce Echaquan, a 37-year-old mother of seven, was hospitalised with severe stomach pains on 26 September 2020 at the Centre Hospitalier Régional de Lanaudière in the Quebec city of Joliette. Echaquan, who was Indigenous and had previously experienced mistreatment by hospital staff, had been recording her hospital visits since 2014 due to her distrust of medical personnel and her limited fluency in French.
On 28 September 2020, Echaquan live-streamed a Facebook video showing hospital staff insulting her. In the video, Echaquan is heard moaning and screaming in pain, calling for help, and expressing distress. The nursing staff can be heard responding with racist and abusive language. One nurse called Echaquan ""stupid as hell" in French, while another questioned her pain, stating, "Are you done messing around?" The nurses also commented that Echaquan had made some bad choices and asked what her children would think of her behaviour. One nurse stated that Echaquan was "good at having sex, more than anything else," and that she was only "good for sex".
Echaquan's family claimed that she was administered an excessive amount of morphine, to which they said she was allergic. The coroner's report also noted that Echaquan had been restrained to her bed, which may have worsened her condition. The official cause of death was pulmonary edema, with the coroner concluding that racism and prejudice contributed to Echaquan's death.
The video sparked outrage and protests across Canada, with many calling for racial justice and the recognition of systemic racism in the country's healthcare system. Quebec Premier François Legault acknowledged that the nurse's remarks were ""unacceptable" and "racist" and assured citizens that he would address racism in the province. An independent investigation into the incident was launched, and one nurse and one orderly were dismissed from the hospital.
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She died of pulmonary edema, with racism contributing to her death
Joyce Echaquan, a 37-year-old Indigenous Canadian woman, checked herself into a hospital in Saint-Charles-Borromee, Quebec, due to severe stomach pain. Echaquan had a history of heart complications that required a pacemaker. She did not trust medical staff and was not fluent in French, so she recorded Facebook Live videos during her hospital visits, which her cousin would translate.
Echaquan was restrained to her bed, allegedly at her request, though the coroner expressed doubt about this claim. While in distress, Echaquan filmed herself in her hospital bed screaming and calling for urgent help. During the seven-minute livestream, at least two hospital employees are heard insulting her in French. They called her stupid and said she was better off dead. The nurse also told Echaquan that she made some bad choices and asked what her children would be thinking if they saw her. When the nurse realised she was being recorded, she grabbed Echaquan's phone and attempted to delete the footage.
Echaquan died on September 28, 2020, moments after posting the video. The official cause of death was ruled as pulmonary edema. However, the coroner's report concluded that racism and prejudice contributed to her death. The report called on the Quebec government to recognise the existence of systemic racism within its institutions. The medical expert in the inquiry, Dr. Alain Vadeboncoeur, stated that being held in restraints may have worsened her condition, as fluid accumulated in her lungs while she was lying down.
The treatment Echaquan received at the hospital contributed to her death, as staff incorrectly assumed she was suffering from drug withdrawal and did not properly monitor her condition. Echaquan's family believes she was given morphine, a drug to which she was allergic.
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Her death sparked protests and calls for recognising systemic racism
Joyce Echaquan, a 37-year-old Indigenous Canadian woman and mother of seven, died on September 28, 2020, at a hospital in Joliette, Quebec, after being subjected to racist insults and mistreatment by hospital staff. In the days leading up to her death, Echaquan had posted several live videos on Facebook, documenting her experiences and expressing her distrust of the medical staff. The videos sparked outrage and protests across Quebec and brought attention to the systemic racism faced by Indigenous people in Canada's healthcare system.
In the videos, Echaquan is seen calling for urgent help, while hospital staff can be heard insulting her in French, a language she did not understand. The staff members were recorded making derogatory remarks, such as calling her stupid and telling her that she was only good for sex. The racism and prejudice faced by Echaquan were not isolated incidents but reflected a broader pattern of discrimination within Quebec's healthcare system and other institutions.
Following Echaquan's death, there was a public outcry and widespread protests demanding "Justice for Joyce". Vigils, rallies, and marches were held in Joliette, Trois-Rivières, and other First Nations communities across Quebec. The protests brought together thousands of people, including Indigenous groups and allies, calling for accountability and an end to systemic racism in the province. The visual artist Marie-Ève Turgeon's portrait of Echaquan became a powerful symbol at these vigils and marches.
A three-week inquiry was conducted by the Quebec coroner, Géhane Kamel, who concluded that Echaquan's death was an undeniable case of racism and that the prejudice she faced contributed to her death. Kamel's report called on the Quebec government to recognize the existence of systemic racism within its institutions and to take action to eliminate it. The report emphasized that the denial of systemic racism is, in itself, a form of systemic racism. Despite these recommendations, Premier François Legault repeatedly denied the presence of systemic racism in Quebec, claiming that only certain individuals or groups held discriminatory views.
Echaquan's death and the subsequent protests shed light on the broader issue of racial injustice faced by Indigenous people in Canada. It prompted conversations about the systemic racism entrenched in various institutions, including healthcare and law enforcement. The incident also brought to light other instances of racism and discrimination against Indigenous people, such as the case of Indigenous chief Allan Adam, who was violently arrested by police, and the lawsuit filed by Indigenous women who were coerced into having tubal ligations.
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Frequently asked questions
Joyce Echaquan checked herself into a hospital in Saint-Charles-Borromee, Quebec, because of severe stomach pain. She had a history of heart complications that required a pacemaker.
Echaquan was restrained to her bed, allegedly at her request. She was also given sedatives when she complained of heart palpitations, and no further tests were done. Echaquan live-streamed a video on Facebook where she was being insulted by hospital employees.
Echaquan died on September 28, 2020, moments after recording footage of herself in the hospital. Her official cause of death was pulmonary edema.
Echaquan's death sparked outrage across Canada, with thousands of people participating in rallies and vigils demanding "Justice for Joyce". A coroner's inquiry concluded that racism and prejudice contributed to her death, and the Quebec government was called upon to recognize systemic racism within its institutions.
