Joyce’s Principle: 5 years later, progress or Indigenous healthcare still ‘Scattered’

Five years since the death of Joyce Echaquan — the Atikamekw mother of seven who died at a Quebec hospital in Joliette, north of Montreal — who, moments before she passed, livestreamed as hospital staff threw racist and derogatory remarks at her.

Drafted by Atikamekw leaders after her death, Joyce’s Principle sets out recommendations to guarantee discrimination-free health care for Indigenous people, with the goal of enshrining it in Quebec law.

But half a decade later, the organization behind it says progress has been inconsistent across the province.

“Has there been improvements in healthcare delivery in Quebec? The answer is yes, but largely scattered because these improvements depend entirely on health care professionals who are personally and as a team committed to advancing cultur