Coroner's report on Joyce Echaquan's death adds pressure on Quebec premier to acknowledge systemic racism

Experts from within and without Indigenous communities say the coroner's report into Joyce Echaquan's death validates what they've been saying for years: that systemic racism in Quebec health care must be acknowledged and addressed.

Coroner Géhane Kamel's top recommendation in her report is that the province recognize such racism exists and take concrete action to eliminate it.

The report, released Friday, also says racism and prejudice contributed to the Atikamekw woman's death, although the cause of death — pulmonary edema — was ruled accidental.

Echaquan died last September at a hospital north of Montreal, moments after she recorded footage of herself in hospital as health-care staff hurled racist remarks at her.

Premier François Legault has repeatedly denied the existence of systemic racism in Quebec.

Sen. Michèle Audette, a former commissioner on the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, said she was happy the report made recognizing the existence of systemic racism a priority. 

"I was hoping to read something like this," she said. "Those words resonate in my heart, in my spirit. They're very important."