Atikamekw community 'shocked' by François Legault comments on Joyce Echaquan's death
CBC News | September 17, 2022
Atikamekw chiefs were stunned by Premier François Legault saying the "problem that happened at the Joliette hospital with Mrs. Joyce is now resolved" during the TVA electoral debate Thursday evening, two years after Joyce Echaquan's death.
"The problem is far from settled," said the Chief of Manawan, Paul-Émile Ottawa, and the Grand Chief of the Atikamekw Nation, Constant Awashish, stressing systemic racism must be acknowledged in Quebec to move forward.
"It is a very big statement that he made," said Awashish. Legault's words, he said, shocked and irritated many.
The Atikamekw woman from Manawan and mother of seven died at a hospital in Joliette, Que in late September 2020, after posting a Facebook livestream showing staff insulting and swearing at her.
A Quebec coroner later ruled her death was not from natural causes but "accidental" because she failed to receive the care she was entitled to.
In the wake of Echaquan's death, the Atikamekw Council of Manawan and the Atikamekw Nation Council (CNA) submitted a brief to both the provincial and federal governments outlining their demands for Joyce's Principle. Its aim is to guarantee all Indigenous Peoples the right to equitable access to health and social services in the province.
Manawan and the CNA have constantly called for the implementation of the principle and recognition of systemic racism since.
Quebec election: five-way fight or two-way race?
CTV News | September 18, 2022
Who's in the race? François Legault of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) and Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois of Québec solidaire (QS) say the election is a choice between their two parties.
Speaking in Sherbrooke Saturday, Nadeau-Dubois said the riding belongs to either QS or the CAQ, adding that the Quebec campaign is becoming "more and more a two-way fight."
For once, the one he defines as his main opponent agrees.
Legault believes the province is witnessing the confrontation of "two very clear visions" that are "very different."
"One vision is more realistic and takes into account the concerns of Quebecers," he said. The other "thinks that money grows on trees," he concluded.
But Parti Québécois (PQ) leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon retorts that it's still a five-way race.
"In reality, it's a five-way fight. Each party is distinguishing itself with unique proposals," he said at a press conference in Saguenay. "We must respect the right of people to vote based on the proposals that are in line with what they would like."
Immigration becomes political fodder in Quebec election as parties spar over 'capacity'
CBC News | September 19, 2022
The head of a major employers' group in Quebec says an election campaign is not the time to have a serious discussion about immigration.
Campaign slogans and political messages aren't suited for rational conversations about how newcomers contribute positively to the economy, Karl Blackburn, president and CEO of the Conseil du patronat du Quebec, said in a recent interview.
"And we are very much aware that these are sensitive issues, particularly around language," Blackburn said.
But three weeks in, party leaders have not shied away from putting immigration front and centre in the Quebec campaign.
The debate has so far been superficial, focused on numbers — parties have been accused of "one-upping" each other with immigration targets — and the ambiguous concept of the province's "capacity to integrate" newcomers.
CAQ Leader Francois Legault clumsily tied immigration to "violence" and "extremism" — comments he walked back — and days later he told a campaign crowd that non-French-speaking immigration is a threat to "national cohesion" in the province.
During Thursday night's leaders debate, Legault warned that if Quebec doesn't gain more powers over immigration, it could end up like Sweden, which is struggling with a crime wave linked to immigration.
Blackburn, meanwhile, says Quebec has the capacity — and desperately needs — to accept up to 100,000 immigrants a year in order to address labour shortages that are negatively affecting the quality, price and availability of goods and services across Quebec.
Privatizing health care isn't the taboo it once was. But would it help Quebec's ailing system?
CBC News | September 21, 2022
It's nearly noon at the Tiny Tots pediatric clinic in Decarie Square in the Montreal suburb of Côte Saint-Luc, and there's a steady line of parents clutching little hands or pushing strollers as they check in for their child's appointment.
Tiny Tots is part of ELNA Medical's growing network of family medicine and specialty clinics, with some 96 clinics in Canada, including about 25 in Quebec alone.
Although many of the services are covered by public health insurance — in Quebec, through the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) — the clinics are privately owned and run.
If patients need to see a specialist, they can be referred internally to someone working at one of ELNA's clinics. A patient can have tests or procedures done at a public clinic or at ELNA. Some specialty procedures at ELNA are covered by RAMQ, while others are mostly covered by private insurance plans
"It's the same care, except in, shall we say, a better wrapper," said Dr. Benjamin Burko, a pediatrician and the Montreal-based company's chief innovation officer.
Support for such an approach appears to be growing.
A dearth of family doctors, long wait times for surgeries and overwhelmed emergency rooms have made the public thirsty for new ideas to improve Quebec's health-care system — and one of the main alternatives being proposed in this election campaign is opening the network up to further privatization.
American company says it will stop shipping products to Quebec over new language law
CBC News | September 21, 2022
Quebecers wanting to buy products like iPhone cases from OtterBox are going to have to find another way besides ordering directly from the company's website.
In a message at the top of OtterBox's home page, the Colorado-based accessory manufacturer says, that "due to the French language requirements of Bill 96, we have temporarily suspended shipments to Quebec, Canada."
When users click on a link for more information, they're taken to a page where the company explains that the move is because Bill 96, which became law on June 1, "requires French language support across all sales and marketing touch points."
It adds that it's working to comply with the law so it can resume shipments "as soon as possible" and that consumers can still buy its products from retailers like Staples, Amazon and the Apple Store, as well as through mobile phone providers like Rogers and Telus.
Kianna Noonan, a spokesperson for Otter Products, said the company's Canadian legal counsel recommended that all shipments from the website to Quebec consumers be suspended while the new legislation is assessed.
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