Treaty 1 and Dakota Territory, Homeland of the Red River Métis, Winnipeg MB— Today Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew called for an inquest into the death of Krystal Mousseau, who died during an attempt to transport her out of province from a Brandon ICU during Manitoba’s 3rd wave. Kinew made this call with the full support of Ms. Mousseau’s family.

“Krystal Mousseau was a young mother who left behind two children, and her family needs answers about her treatment and subsequent death during Manitoba’s third wave,” said Kinew. “An inquest must be called so Ms. Mousseau’s family can get the answers they need and understand what led to her tragic passing. We need to take an honest look at what went wrong and ask whether Ms. Mousseau might still be alive if she wasn't not moved from the ICU.”

Ms. Mousseau passed away in the Brandon Regional Health Centre on May 25, 2021, after attempts were made to move her from that hospital’s Intensive Care Unit to another province by plane. Her death came at a time when 57 other Manitoba ICU patients were transferred to other jurisdictions.

Ms. Mousseau’s death has been investigated as a critical incident. While such an investigation may lead to internal recommendations for the health care system, an inquest, led by independent experts, would go further. It would deliver more transparency and bring to light the details surrounding Ms. Mousseau’s death, providing the family more accountability and more of the answers they deserve.

Today’s public call comes after Kinew has advocated with the family for months since Ms. Mousseau’s passing. Kinew wrote a letter to the Minister of Justice on December 16th requesting an inquest but has received no response.

“An inquest will help the Mousseau family on their healing journey and help us improve health outcomes for Manitobans in this fourth wave,” added Kinew. “In light of the current challenges our province is facing with surging COVID cases, an inquest into the death of Krystal Mousseau could help our healthcare system respond by creating best practices for tirage protocol and patient transfers.”

The family of Krystal Mousseau ask for privacy at this time and refer media requests to Wab Kinew and the NDP Caucus.