Atikamekw group calls for Quebec cultural safety bill to be rewritten

A group created in memory of Joyce Echequan says Quebec’s cultural safety bill doesn’t go far enough, in part because of the government’s continued refusal to acknowledge the existence of systemic racism.

The group, Joyce’s Principle Office, spoke on the second and final day of consultations into Bill 32 at the National Assembly.

The legislation aims to put in place cultural safety practices in the health-care system for Indigenous patients.

But Jennifer Petiquay-Dufresne, executive director of Joyce’s Principle Office, says the Atikamekw community was not properly consulted in the drafting of the bill.

She said Bill 32 does not go far enough, and will not bring about change unless it’s amended to include Joyce’s Principle — a series of measures the community has been proposing following Echequan’s death three years ago.

“We were profoundly uncomfortable seeing Minister Lafrenière repeatedly using Joyce’s memory, objectifying her cause, for his own political gain,” Petiquay-Dufresne told reporters Wednesday.

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“If he wants to use Joyce’s memory in that way, we need to see concrete results.”

Echequan died at a hospital in Joliette, Que.,  just moments after filming nurses hurling insults at her.

As it stands, Echequan is mentioned in the preamble of Bill 32, but there is no mention of Joyce’s Principle in the bill itself — an aspect critiqued by many.

Innu surgeon Dr. Stanley Vollant, who also spoke at the hearing, believes the addition of Joyce’s Principle, as well as an acknowledgment of systemic racism in the bill, are necessary steps in establishing trust with Indigenous patients.

He says many patients in Manawan and Indigenous communities across the province are still hesitant to seek medical care, and that leads to higher mortality rates.

“They are afraid to be mistreated, not to be treated as equal and to have more complications, more chances to die,” said Vollant.

Quebec Indigenous Affairs Minister Ian Lafrenière refused to add the words ‘systemic racism’ to the bill Thursday.

2:06 Quebec shuts down motion seeking adoption of Joyce’s Principle