Legault Continues to Deny the Existence of Systemic Racism in Quebec

During protests in support of Black Lives Matter in Quebec last summer, Premier François Legault denied that systemic racism existed in the province.

Last week the coroner's report into Joyce Echaquan’s death, a 37-year-old Atikamekw mother of seven, who died in September 2020 in Centre hospitalier régional de Lanaudière in Joliette, a hospital in the north of Montreal, identified that minutes before her death she was treated in a racist, prejudiced way. 

Her death and the footage filmed by Joyce herself highlighting the racism and mistreatment towards her by nurses led to outrage and protests, and for the province to acknowledge systemic racism.

Legault is still denying systemic racism, saying it was an isolated circumstance of racism and prejudice. 

When the Coroner was asked if Echequan might still be alive if she were white, she said, “I think so”

The coroner’s report says Echaquan's care was affected because medical staff assumed she was suffering from withdrawal, which was untrue. Echaquan died of pulmonary edema. 

Following Joyce’s death, 12 hundred employees have been given at least three hours of cultural safety training and some members of the Atikamekw community have been given prominent roles on the health board.

Despite these efforts, Legault refuses to acknowledge Joyce’s Principle, recommendations drafted to guarantee proper and prejudice-free healthcare for Indigenous people to be enshrined in provincial law.

Legault will not acknowledge this as it references systemic racism.

Samer Majzoub, president of the Canadian Muslim Forum and Elijah Olise of the Racial Justice Collective join Local 514 to discuss systemic racism in Quebec, and within specific sectors, including healthcare, law and justice.