Quebec rejected a coroner's call to recognize racism behind Joyce Echaquan's death
Joyce Echaquan, a 37-year-old Atikamekw mother of seven from Manawan, died on 28 September 2020 at the Centre hospitalier régional de Lanaudière in Joliette after livestreaming hospital staff hurling racist remarks at her. In October 2021 coroner Géhane Kamel concluded that racism and prejudice contributed to her death, found staff had wrongly assumed she was in drug withdrawal, and made her top recommendation that Quebec recognize systemic racism and commit to eliminating it. The Legault government refused, and when the National Assembly passed Bill 32 on cultural safety in health care in late 2024 it left out recognition of systemic racism, the core of Joyce's Principle. In September 2025 the minister responsible for First Nations relations, Ian Lafrenière, told CBC that recognizing systemic racism was 'impossible'.
The Quebec government must recognize the existence of systemic racism within its institutions, according to the coroner
The first criteria they asked from me is to recognize systemic racism. So, I'll be honest, I'll be straight and honest, it was impossible
The health ministry said it is committed to continuing its work on cultural safety and funds 47 liaison and navigator positions for 2025-2026.
Said recognizing systemic racism was 'impossible' but that he put everything else from Joyce's Principle into Bill 32.
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