Atikamekw chief ‘optimistic’ after meeting Que. premier

CHIEF SAYS ACTION STILL NEEDED AFTER DEATH OF WOMAN IN HOSPITAL

The grand chief of the Atikamekw Nation said he had a positive meeting with

Quebec Premier Francois Legault Monday but he’s still waiting to see action.

Grand Chief Constant Awashish and other community leaders met with Legault to discuss the death of Joyce Echaquan, an Atikamekw woman who filmed staff insulting her as she lay dying in a Joliette hospital last week.

“He was listening, I don’t know if he (understood) everything but I know he was listening,” Awashish told reporters outside the premier’s Montreal office.

The Atikamekw community wants an apology from the government and the ability to participate in a public inquiry into Echaquan’s death, leaders have said. The incident has been described by members of Indigenous communities as an example of systemic racism in Quebec’s public service.

While Legault has described the actions of the Joliette hospital staff members as racist, he has repeatedly maintained that systemic racism doesn’t exist in Quebec.

“In my eyes, and in the eyes of many experts, there’s a systemic problem in the public services,” Awashish said after the meeting. “We didn’t agree on the definition of ‘systemic’ but I think we speak the same language, just differently.”

But even if the government doesn’t acknowledge systemic racism, Awashish said he believes Legault could bring about positive change.

“He has the power to do it, now we’re looking for the will,” he said.

Legault said later there was agreement that the staff at the Joliette hospital would be trained on how to better offer services to Indigenous people, and the training would be offered throughout the healthcare network.

The premier also said his government would create a public awareness campaign on the importance of fighting racism. “It’s time we move toward action,” Legault said.

Earlier on Monday, the lawyer for Echaquan’s family says he hopes the video of her suffering will help the public appreciate the discrimination faced by Indigenous people.