A vigil for Joyce Echaquan was held on Parliament Hill near the eternal flame. Joyce, an Atikamekw woman, died after being admitted to a hospital in Lanaudiere, Quebec for stomach pains. Video she recorded surfaced online and showed hospital staff uttering insults and racial slurs at her.
Two nurses involved in the incident were fired and Lanaudiere’ s regional health units CISSS have launched an investigation, according to CTV. Coroner services are currently investigating Joyce’s death.
At the end of the vigil, a counter-protester known to the Parliamentary Protective Service (PPS), disturbed the vigil and speeches made by members of the Ottawa First Nations community. The man was not arrested by PPS or Ottawa Police. Joyce left behind 7 children.
Feature Image By: Spencer Colby
