A Canadian hospital’s authorities have fired a nurse after a video surfaced on social media showing an indigenous woman, Joyce Echaquan, screaming in distress while being insulted by the hospital staff. Quebec Premier Francois Legault said that the nurse’s remarks in the video were indecent and racist. He further added that the death of the woman would be thoroughly investigated.
In recent months, there have been several incidents in Canada, highlighting the systematic racism faced by the indigenous community. According to a report in 2015, racism against the indigenous population in the country’s health care system has only contributed to poorer health outcomes as compared to other Canadians.
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In the video, the woman, Joyce Echaquan, had traveled 70 kilometers to Montreal to the Joliette hospital after suffering from severe stomach pain. Reportedly, the mother of seven filmed herself in the hospital calling for urgent help.
However, in response, the staff can be heard saying in French: “You’re stupid as hell.” Meanwhile, another nurse accuses her of making bad choices in life. Soon afterward, Echaquan died. But her family has maintained that she had a severe heart problem, and they fear that the staff gave her too much morphine.
While talking to a news conference, Premier Legault described this as a racist act and urged the people of the country to fight against it. Moreover, he also announced two investigations, one by a forensic pathologist responsible for determining whether the staff’s negligence led to her death and the other by local health authorities.
Perry Bellegarde, the Canadian First Nations advocate took to twitter and said that the recent incident shows the systematic racism the indigenous population faces in the country’s health care system. Moreover, on Tuesday, a vigil for the deceased woman was also held outside the hospital building. The civil society has initiated online fundraising to support the children of Echaquan.
In the last few years, Canada has been coming to terms with racial injustice and discrimination faced by its indigenous population. In 2019, a government report highlighted that the country was also complicit in race-based genocide against the indigenous population, especially women.
Moreover, the inquiry noted that an indigenous woman was more likely to disappear or get hurt than any other Canadian woman, citing that state inaction and rooted colonialism. After June’s Allan Adam incident, Prime Minister Trudeau acknowledged that the country faces the challenge of systematic racism.
