Jordan's Principle
Jordan's Principle is a child-first principle to ensure First Nations children get the services they need when they need them.
To submit a request for services through Jordan's Principle, call the Jordan's Principle 24-hour Call Centre: 1-855-JP-CHILD (1-855-572-4453) or visit canada.ca/jordans-principle.
If you have any difficulties accessing services through Jordan's Principle, please contact the 24-hour Jordan's Principle Call Centre, your provincial child advocate or ombudsperson or please refer to the list on our Contact page.
In the Spotlight:
- On April 4, 2025, AFN submitted an extension request to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal regarding their position on long-term reform of FNCFS and Jordan's Principle.
- On March 31, 2025, AFN Executive Committee wrote to the Tribunal to retract AFN's March 24, 2025 submission regarding long-term reform of FNCFS and Jordan's Principle.
- On March 24, 2025, the Caring Society and AFN submitted letter submissions to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal on positions on the long-term reform of FNCFS and Jordan's Principle.
- On March 7, 2025, Canada provides its report to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal in keeping with the Tribunal's November 21, 2024 summary ruling.
- On February 20, 2025, the Caring Society's released a statement on federal government allegations of misuse of Jordan's Principle.
- On February 10, 2025, the Federal Court released an Order sending Canada's judicial review of 2025 CHRT 6 into case management and putting it into abeyance (on pause).
- On January 29, 2025, the Tribunal issued its full decision with reasons on the Caring Society's non-compliance motion and Canada's cross-motion on Jordan's Principle.
- On January 17, 2025, Canada provides its report to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal in keeping with the Tribunal's November 21, 2024 summary ruling.
- On December 20, 2024, Canada filed a judicial review of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal's November 21, 2024 Letter-Decision on the Jordan's Principle non-compliance motion.
- On December 10, 2024, per the Tribunal's November 21, 2024 summary ruling, Canada reported on ISC's backlogs of Jordan's Principle requests and ISC's plan to resolve the backlog.
- On November 21, 2024, the Tribunal issued a letter-decision with reasons to follow regarding the Caring Society's non-compliance motion and Canada's cross-motion on Jordan's Principle.
- UPDATED (August 2024): Read our information sheet on the Caring Society's non-compliance motion v. Canada on Jordan's Principle.
Learn more about Jordan's Principle:
- Summary of the Tribunal's orders on Jordan's Principle Information Sheet updated March 2025.
- Check out the FNCARES Fall Webinar, Jordan's Principle: Back to Basics (October 2023).
- Check out this independent report on Jordan's Principle data released by the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy (IFSD), University of Ottawa.
- Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger, a National Film Board documentary by celebrated filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin.
- As a party to the Tribunal case, the Caring Society continues to monitor federal compliance with the orders and raise concerns about Canada's implementation of Jordan's Principle. Read about our concerns and suggested remedies here (updated April 2021).
- Jordan’s Principle and Children With Disabilities and Special Needs: A Resource Guide and Analysis of Canada’s Implementation (2021)
- Jordan's Principle Youth Public Service Announcement (PSA): Short version; Long version; American Sign Language
- First Nations Child and Family Service Agency Funding Changes per the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (including information on Jordan's Principle).
Background
Jordan’s Principle is a legal rule 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, waiting to leave, while the Province of Manitoba and the federal government argued over who should pay for his at home care—care that would have been paid for immediately had Jordan not been First Nations. Jordan died in the hospital at the age of five years old, never having spent a day in a family home.
With the support of their community of Norway House Cree Nation and others, Jordan’s family gifted his name to the creation of child-first principle to ensure First Nations children could access the services they need without denial, delay, or disruption.
Unfortunately, despite the unanimous support of the House of Commons in 2007 for a broad definition, the federal government went on to implement Jordan’s Principle in a manner so narrow that few, if any, First Nations children qualified.
In a landmark ruling on January 26, 2016, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT or Tribunal) ruled that Canada’s definition of Jordan’s Principle was discriminatory and ordered the federal government to take immediate measures to implement the full and proper scope of Jordan’s legacy.
Canada failed to comply with the Tribunal’s ruling and three months later, in April 2016, the CHRT issued its first non-compliance order against Canada. In all, the Tribunal has been forced to issue more than 20 additional orders, many of them non-compliance orders against Canada. The Tribunal orders have led to over 1.4 million products, services, and supports for First Nations kids through Jordan's Principle. The Tribunal has also ordered Canada to review previous service requests dating from April 1, 2009, whether made pursuant to Jordan's Principle or otherwise, to determine what supports children/youth would or should have received had Canada applied the proper definition of Jordan's Principle.