Canada makes sweeping changes to Jordan’s Principle after CHRT ruling

OTTAWA — Canada has announced sweeping changes to a program designed to ensure First Nations kids get the care and supports they need, when they need them.

The changes come almost a year after the federal government argued before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal that requests for funding under Jordan’s Principle were including things like modelling headshots and gaming consoles.

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The CHRT said last month it was “quite concerned” about that.

This week Ottawa moved to bar approvals for home renovations, sporting events, international travel, non-medical supports or school-related requests unless required to ensure equality with kids who are not First Nations.

But Cindy Blackstock of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society says Canada’s changes to the program aren’t evidence-based, and that it’s taking an approach that “feeds into colonial stereotypes.”

Jordan’s Principle is named after a Manitoba boy with multiple disabilities who died in hospital waiting for the province and Ottawa to decide who should pay for health supports that would allow him to go home.

Under the program families are to apply for and receive funding as its needed, with the provinces and federal government later sorting out jurisdictional battles over which is responsible for the bill.

In January Jordan’s father, Ernest, condemned “abuse” of the program on social media, saying kids with urgent needs are seeing delays in accessing funds due to misuse.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2025.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press