Quebec actress dies while awaiting surgery delayed by COVID-19

Her death was announced in a statement by l’Agence artistique Duchesne, a talent agency founded and run by Nathalie Duchesne.

"I feel deep sadness and it’s really so unfair," Duchesne said. "It’s a tragedy."

Chouinard-Chauveau starred in the critically acclaimed film Catimini, which was released in 2012 and received five Jutra Award nominations, according to the Montreal Gazette.

The statement says Chouinard-Chauveau’s parents, well-known Quebec actors Normand Chouinard and Violette Chauveau, are touched by public support and sympathy during this difficult time for them.

Dr. Liane Feldman, surgeon-in-chief at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), says that Chouinard-Chauveau’s death showcases the terrible cost of the coronavirus pandemic.

"I think that’s a devastating thing to read, I was upset to read that," Feldman said.

"I don’t know the details of it, but whatever it is, it’s devastating for the family to think that the cause (of death) was the delay of having the surgery. We have over 5,000 patients on our (surgery) wait list just at the Royal Vic and the General right now. That’s increased very significantly from last year and I’m sure it’s the same at every hospital in the province," Feldman continued.

"We are told 140,000 surgeries have been delayed or postponed and each of those is a human being. It’s a person who needs surgery and has a story and is suffering because they can’t get their surgery done … 140,000 people, that’s a whole lot of people in a province of eight-and-a-half million people. It’s very significant."

"At a young age, it was clear that she was an artist who was destined to do this craft and that’s why I decided to represent her very early on," Duchesne said.

"Her performance in Catimini really turned a lot of heads. It was a great role for her. She was a woman with a lot of depth and a unique personality. And she’s left us at such a young age."

Several politicians responded to her passing.