Quebec initiative is helping fund Indigenous women’s research while contributing to Joyce’s Principle – University Affairs
NOV 01 2022
The second recipient of the Joyce Echaquan Scholarship is hoping to develop a new care model.
On September 28, 2020, Quebec residents were shaken to learn of the death of Joyce Echaquan, an Atikamekw woman whose social media posts denounced the mistreatment she suffered at a hospital in Joliette, Que. Her tragic death led to the development of Joyce’s Principle by the Atikamekw Nation and, in turn, to the creation of the Joyce Echaquan Scholarship by two professors.
Developed in 2020, Joyce’s Principle calls for, among other things, the right for Indigenous people to have access to all health and social services without discrimination. “I asked myself what I could do, with the resources I have, to further Joyce’s Principle,” said Suzy Basile, a professor at Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT) and research chair on Indigenous women’s issues.
“I thought we could earmark some money for a student to do a master’s degree on an aspect of Joyce’s Principle. It could be through the lens of social sciences, law, political science, anthropology, health or one of many other fields,” added Dr. Basile, an Atikamekw researcher.
