“Joyce will always live in the hearts of me and my children,” Echaquan’s husband Carol Dubey said at the rally.

“Although we have experienced all the sad stories, we still need to fill ourselves with hope… we can change things together.”

Andrea Ottawa, who participated in the parade, said that she felt it was especially important to express support for Echaquan, because she also often deals with systemic racism at work. Ottawa is a nurse and she said she often feels that her patients treat her differently because she is an Aboriginal woman.

She said: “I think for every woman, being here, present, and even far away is very important.”

Isabel Napess drove all the way from Ekuanitshit on the north coast of Quebec to the parade-a journey that took more than 24 hours.

“I’m sure that all locals have experienced discrimination at least once in their lives,” Nepes said. “We just endure, we never show it, so now I think it’s time to stand up and say enough.”

“Never again,” said the coroner

With the end of the investigation, Quebec coroner Géhane Kamel promised that Joyce Echaquan’s death will not be in vain.

“For your children, Mr. Dube, you need to tell them that the little revolution of reconciliation started because of their mother,” she turned to Dube and said.

“To Joyce, no matter where you are, please know that my report will not be complacent. It will be honest, and I hope it will become the basis of the social contract, helping us say:’Never again.’ ”

Patrick Martin-Ménard, the lawyer representing the family, and Rainbow Miller, the lawyer representing the indigenous women of Quebec, urge everyone who listens to remember Echaquan, not just as a tragedy The victim, but as a person.

“She is a woman who truly loves her family,” Miller said. “It is precious to her family and community.”

Martin-Ménard said that the past few weeks have been difficult and emotional for the family. He said that the process will only become more difficult because they heard about the doctors at the Ranau Diere Central Hospital in Joliette that day. Conflicting testimony of personnel. , Que.

Martin-Ménard said: “Ending a very difficult and very emotional process is a relief for the family.” “Now, it is in the hands of the coroner.”

However, he said that the investigation could provide them with some answers about Echaquan’s death.

Last week, expert testimony showed that Echaquan died of pulmonary edema, and that she could have been saved if she had been monitored more closely.

“We understand that there is a huge gap in the level of medical care, the level of nurses, and emergency room management,” Martin Maynard said.

“We also learned that in a larger sense, systemic racism is a problem that needs to be addressed in our healthcare system.”

Lawyer says systemic racism led to Echaquan’s death

Several experts who made recommendations in the survey in recent days have called for cultural sensitivity training and changes to the province’s health care system to address systemic racism, especially discrimination against indigenous women.

Some people also emphasized the importance of adopting the Joyce Principles- A series of measures Drafted by the Atikamekw community to ensure fair access to health care for indigenous patients.

But so far, the province has refused to accept the complete document because it mentions systemic racism, and the governor François Legault has repeatedly denied that such discrimination exists in Quebec.

Watch | Demonstrators speak in Echaquan inquiry:

On Wednesday afternoon, more than 2,000 people from all over Quebec marched on the streets of Trois-Rivieres, as the coroner’s investigation into the death of Joyce Echaquan was drawing to a close. 0:58

In his closing speech on Wednesday, Jean-François Aalto, a lawyer representing the Manawan Atikamekw Committee, reiterated that systemic racism was a major factor in Echaquan’s death.

Earlier in the investigation, medical staff who treated Echaquan’s death testified that they believed she was addicted to drugs and was in withdrawal.

“This is based on a shame and prejudice,” Aalto said. “This is systemic racism.”

Arteau said that this false assumption caused them to pay less attention to her symptoms and left her unattended, which eventually led to her death.

“If her name is Jocelyne Tremblay, she is still alive today… but her name is Joyce Echaquan.”

Although the provincial police determined that criminal charges should not be filed in this case, Aalto said he was not sure about this and hoped that they would review the files.

Within the next 30 days, Kamel will receive a final written statement from an attorney representing everyone involved in the investigation, after which she will submit a report detailing her own recommendations.