Jordan's Principle
Jordan's Principle is a child-first principle ensuring First Nations children get the services they need when they need them.
In the Spotlight:
- Jordan's Principle Scholarship - for First Nations students studying children's health or children with disabilities.
Learn more about Jordan's Principle:
- Jordan's Principle Youth Public Service Announcement (PSA): Short version; Long version; American Sign Language
- Jordan's Principle FAQs
- First Nations Child and Family Service Agency Funding Changes per the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (including information on Jordan's Principle)
- Access public services and supports through Jordan’s Principle (as of June 29, 2018)
- Jordan's Principle: Summary of Orders from the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (February 2019)
Background
Jordan’s Principle is a child-first principle named in memory of Jordan River Anderson, a First Nations child from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba. Born with complex medical needs, Jordan spent more than two years unnecessarily in hospital while the Province of Manitoba and the federal government argued over who should pay for his at home care. Jordan died in the hospital at the age of five years old, never having spent a day in his family home. Jordan’s Principle aims to make sure First Nations children can access all public services in a way that is reflective of their distinct cultural needs, takes full account of the historical disadvantage linked to colonization, and without experiencing any service denials, delays or disruptions because they are First Nations.
Payment disputes within and between federal and provincial governments over services for First Nations children are not uncommon. First Nations children are frequently left waiting for services they desperately need, or are denied services that are available to other children. This includes services in education, health, childcare, recreation, and culture and language. Jordan's Principle calls on the government of first contact to pay for the services and seek reimbursement later so the child does not get tragically caught in the middle of government red tape.
In a landmark ruling on January 26, 2016, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ordered the federal government to immediately stop applying a limited and discriminatory definition of Jordan’s Principle, and to immediately take measures to implement the full meaning and scope of the principle.
