Joyce Echaquan received the Medal of Honor from the National Assembly of Quebec after death. A medal that the family receives while being asked to follow concrete actions, such as affirming the Joyce Principle.
According to the National Assembly website, Joyce Echaquan, woman of heart, faith and humanityay honored posthumously for that great legacy [la] The Atikamekw woman bequeathed to society and to all Aboriginal communities.
In a press release, Joyce Echaquan’s family explained that they accept this difference for several reasons, however, stressing that if the medal is only metal, it has no value.
He wonders why members of the National Assembly decided to give him this medal if his death did not bring about real change.
” For us, he deserves all the medals in the world. She deserves life. But for you, members of the National Assembly, why is this the medal? “
The family reiterated its request that concrete actions such as the adoption of Joyce’s Principle be included in this distinction. The Joyce Principle, developed by Atikamekw communities, aims to assert the rights of Aboriginal people in the field of health and social services.
Last March, we learned that the CAQ government no longer intended to include the notion of cultural security in amending the Act relating to health and social services, despite the commitment of the Minister responsible for Aboriginal Affairs. , Ian Lafreniere.
It is necessary to support [le Principe de Joyce]give him the necessary resources so that our heritage is, thanks to Joyce, an unprecedented evolution in relations between non -Indigenous and Indigenous peoples in Quebecsaid the family.
He also asked the members of the selection committee for the medals of the National Assembly to continue to work together, despite their differing political allegiances, to change things for the better. He hopes that the long -awaited changes in relations between the First Nation and the National Assembly taking place in Quebec.
” We welcome [cette médaille] so that the particular form of this hatred that exists in Quebec as elsewhere in Canada is no longer ignored by those in a position to make changes. “
The death of Joyce Echaquan, although unintentional, was prevented and the racism and prejudice Ms. Echaquan faced certainly contributed to her demiseconclusion of coroner Géhane Kamel after his investigation.
The coroner then recommended that the Quebec government recognize the existence of systematic racism within the institutions and make a commitment to contribute to its elimination. But the Legault government still refuses to acknowledge it.
That is why the family hopes that one day the medal received by Joyce Echaquan will have the same value as the one received by Janette Bertrand, meaning the symbol of an extraordinary contribution to the evolution of ideas in Quebec. In fact, Ms. Bertrand is one of five unique personalities honored by the National Assembly.
Luc Dionne, Benoît Pelletier and, posthumously, Guy Lafleur, also received the Medal of Honor from the National Assembly in Quebec.
Joyce Echaquan’s wife, Carol Dubé, her daughter Marie Wasianna Echaquan Dubé and her parents, Diane Dubé and Michel Echaquan, participated in the ceremony. The Chief of the Atikamekw Council of Manawan, Paul-Émille Ottawa, as well as the Grand Chief of the Atikamekw Nation, Constant Awashish, were also present.
The family said in the statement that they would rather not be there, but have Joyce still by their side. No medal can change his life, he wrote. Through her presence, she wanted to dedicate this moment to the courage of Atikamekw women, to Aboriginal women from here and elsewhere.
A year ago, public hearings were held on the death of Joyce Echaquan, an Atikamekw woman who died in Joliette at the end of September 2020.
Source: Radio-Canada
