MONTREAL — A coroner’s inquest is set to begin today in the death of an Indigenous woman who was subjected to insults by staff while she lay dying in a Quebec hospital.
Joyce Echaquan, 37, an Atikamekw mother of seven, filmed herself at the Joliette, Que., hospital last September as female staff were caught on the Facebook Live video insulting and mocking her.
The video circulated widely on social media and prompted widespread indignation across the country.
Echaquan, from the community of Manawan, north of Montreal, died on Sept. 28 after being admitted with stomach pain.
Coroner Géhane Kamel’s investigation will be held over 13 days between May 13 and June 2 at the provincial courthouse in Trois-Rivières, Que., about halfway between Montreal and Quebec City.
A coroner’s inquest does not rule on liability but rather looks at the causes and circumstances of a death and comes up with recommendations to avoid similar occurrences.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2021.
The Canadian Press