Vigil held in Joliette marks 5 years since Joyce Echaquan’s death

Five years after Joyce Echaquan’s death, community members gathered Sunday evening at the Lanaudière Native Friendship Centre in Joliette, Que., for a vigil in her memory.

From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the event brought dozens of people together to honour her life and the impact she continues to have.

“We want to make sure that we’re celebrating somebody’s life. Joyce – the story that happened – tragic, but the legacy she’s leaving is one of hope,” said Jennifer Brazeau, executive director of the Lanaudière Native Friendship Centre.

Echaquan, a 37-year-old Atikamekw mother of seven from Manawan, died on Sept. 28, 2020, after enduring racist and derogatory treatment at the Joliette hospital, about 80 kilometres north of Montreal. Her final moments, streamed on Facebook Live, went viral as medical staff hurled racist remarks at her while she waited for medical care.

A coroner’s report in 2021 said that Echaquan died of pulmonary edema but that systemic racism contributed to her death. 

Organizers of the vigil said Echaquan’s death became a catalyst for change in Quebec’s health care system. They said dialogue between Indigenous communities and the province has since improved, however much more still needs to be done.

“It was a traumatic moment for the community and it was a catalyst for the government and Quebec society in general,” said Luc Parlavecchio, director of Mirerimowin Proximity Clinic, a culturally secure clinic for Indigenous patients to receive health care in Joliette. “It gave us the means to provide services in health and education – and in social services that are much more developed compared to what they were before.”

The commemoration began with celebration and community. Food and drinks were shared as people gathered in small circles of conversation.

Speeches began at around 7 p.m. at the door front of the centre, beside three painted windows depicting silhouettes with the words “Justice for Joyce.”

Carol Dubé, Echaquan’s husband, addressed the crowd first in Atikamekw and French with a photograph of Echaquan displayed behind him.

“Since that day, I have been transforming the emptiness into a call to not forget the memory of Joyce, like a woman who has uplifted society. Tonight, I speak from my heart about the memory of Joyce, who will live in our actions, our words, our hearts,” Dubé said.

During the speeches, a smouldering bundle of white sage was circulated through the crowd, with a feather used to waft the smoke toward attendees.

“It’s super important to highlight the vigil because it creates moments like these where people can meet each other and talk to each other – I think now that is much more accessible than it was before,” said Joliette resident Alex Laviolette-Moar.

After a few speakers, a performance took place. Participants began lighting candles, transferring the flame to those around them. The crowd stood in silence, the candlelight flickering. After performing a last song, the crowd lifted their candles to the sky, following the performer’s lead and calling out “To Joyce!” and “Say her name!” before adding “Justice for Joyce!”

He concluded his performance by expressing hope that everyone could find a sense of peace within them. Attendees responded with a final round of applause.

Quebec Minister of Public Security Ian Lafrenière was also in attendance, telling reporters that he was not there to discuss politics.

“I think since then, a lot of things have been done. People have realized what was going on, but there’s still a lot of work to do,” Lafrenière said.

Parlavecchio explained that medical interventions at Mirerimowin Proximity Clinic have increased from 300 per year to 3,000, but added that this is still just the “tip of the iceberg.”

“The challenge I see is that when there are economic difficulties, I’m afraid we’ll be the first services to be cut,” he said. “I’ve already had a 30 per cent cut in the health budget, and now I’m thinking, ‘oh, I hope we’re not about to enter a new cycle where things become difficult economically, then the most vulnerable populations will be affected.'”