Ottawa says it will continue to fund Jordan’s Principle to support First Nations children through 2026, as some First Nations chiefs decry what they call cutbacks in services.
Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu announced the extension in a press release Saturday, about 24 hours before a federal election campaign is expected to kick off.
The principle is intended to assure that First Nations children can access government-funded health, social or educational services regardless of where they live and without seeing their cases bogged down in jurisdictional disputes.
No specific spending amounts were provided in the latest announcement, but Hajdu said the government has poured $8.8 billion into the principle since it was established in 2016.
“More than 8.9 million products, services, and supports have been approved since 2016 under Jordan’s Principle,” Hajdu said in her statement.
Jordan’s Principle stems from a human rights complaint filed by the Assembly of First Nations and the First Nations Family and Caring Society in 2007, and is named after Jordan River Anderson, a five-year-old boy from Norway House Cree Nation in northern Manitoba who died in 2005 in the midst of a two-year battle between the province and Ottawa over who would pay for his care.
Backlog of requests
First Nations leaders have complained for months that the federal government has failed to provide communities with vital funding and resources through Jordan’s Principle.
Cindy Blackstock, head of First Nations Family and Caring Society, launched a non-compliance motion against Canada early last year, and the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled in December Canada needed to address the backlog of requests, along with creating an independent complaints mechanism.
Blackstock was not immediately available for comment Saturday. However, she has accused the government of shirking legal obligations and failing to provide evidence of misuse or how widespread the alleged problem is.
Blackstock has also argued that the government takes too long to process requests, leaving children without access to services, and said the backlog issue is a problem of the government’s own making.
Last week, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs accused the government of failing to live up to its duties by denying requests and cutting back on funds. The chiefs accused the Trudeau government of neglect and called on newly sworn in Prime Minister Mark Carney to rectify what the chiefs called a broken system.
The federal government confirmed in December there were 140,000 backlogged requests across Canada, but said the legal order requiring swift action on it would be “challenging” to implement.
The government also argued before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal that requests were being made for a swath of non-urgent matters, saying the scope of Jordan’s Principle had become too broad and contributed to the backlog of requests.
Last month, the federal government announced it would bar funding approvals for home renovations, sporting events, international travel, and non-medical supports or school-related requests unless required to ensure equality with kids who are not First Nations.
Hajdu said in her Saturday statement she has asked Indigenous Services Canada to review the contribution agreements of First Nations recipients to make sure expenses incurred under the principle in 2024-25 will be considered for funding.
“This review is intended to support partners who are providing critical services to First Nations children through the transition to the new operating procedures related to processing requests under Jordan’s Principle,” she said.
