Federal ministers discuss anti-Indigenous racism in health care – January 28, 2021

Federal ministers Marc Miller (Indigenous services), Carolyn Bennett (Crown-Indigenous relations) and Patty Hajdu (health) hold a virtual news conference at the conclusion of two days of discussions aimed at eliminating anti-Indigenous racism in the healthcare system. The federal government held virtual meetings with Indigenous leaders, provincial and territorial health ministers, and health experts. Miller convened an emergency meeting last October on the same issue following the death of Joyce Echaquan in a Quebec hospital on September 28. The 37-year-old Atikamekw woman recorded a video from her hospital bed before her death that showed hospital staff making racist and insulting comments about her.

The ministers announce that the federal government will co-develop legislation on the delivery of health services for Indigenous peoples.