Question Period Note: Jordan’s Principle

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• Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) is committed to the ongoing implementation of Jordan’s Principle and its long-term sustainability.

• Jordan’s Principle was created to ensure that First Nations children do not experience gaps or delays in accessing government-funded health, social and education services, and that they are not denied these services due to their identity as First Nations children.

• Nearly $10 billion in Jordan’s Principle funding has been secured, and more than 9.4 million products, services, and supports have been approved since 2016.

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If pressed on funding commitments
• Canada is committed to upholding Jordan’s Principle by supporting the costs of essential health, social and educational products services and supports that address the unmet needs of First Nations children.

• In March 2025, the Government announced incremental funding for Jordan’s Principle for 2025-26, increasing the total in-year funding to $1.8 billion. The additional in-year funding will enable Jordan’s Principle to respond to requests from First Nations families, communities and organizations for products, services, and supports for First Nations children.

• ISC will continue to provide support to First Nations children through Jordan’s Principle, we are committed to working collaboratively with First Nations partners, provinces, and territories to coordinate services and help ensure the long-term sustainability of Jordan’s Principle. If pressed on Jordan’s Principle operations and the request backlog

• ISC is aware of the frustrations with the application and payment process as well as the concerns about the impact recent changes have had on children receiving supports.
• One of ISC top priorities is to improve the administration of Jordan’s Principle. First Nations children should not face gaps or delays in accessing government services due to their identity as First Nations, regardless of where they live.
• The backlog and the strain it is causing on individuals and communities is unacceptable.
• As part of these efforts, on February 10, 2025, the Government of Canada announced that it is implementing new ways to process requests. ISC is expanding the decision making in regional offices to limit duplication in processes and extending decision-making powers to regional staff to speed up the processing of requests.
• ISC staff continue to work diligently to clear the existing backlog of requests under Jordan’s Principle and to process new requests. If pressed on the new operational guidelines
• Since it was first implemented in 2016, requests through Jordan’s Principle have grown at an extremely fast pace, most notably in the last few years. There were 614,350 requests approved in 2021-2022, compared to almost 3 million requests approved in 2023-2024, a 367% increase.

• In light of this increased volume, the Indigenous Services Canada is implementing new ways to process requests to expedite decision-making and address the increased demand.

• These changes, announced on February 10, 2025, provide further clarity and consistency around the services available for First Nations children through Jordan’s Principle, as well as the required documentation that is needed when processing requests. They will also help ensure requests align with the long-term sustainability of Jordan’s Principle. If pressed on the resolution of the CHRT complaint
• The Government of Canada continues to work with the Parties to the complaint before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal to advance a resolution to the discrimination, substantiated by the Tribunal in 2016, and to fully implement Jordan’s Principle.

• Indigenous Services Canada will work with partners to develop options for a long-term sustainable approach to Jordan’s Principle to ensure it is available for First Nations children who need it for years to come. If pressed on 2021 CHRT 41 Capital Funding Order
• The Government of Canada has committed funding for the delivery of First Nations child and family services, and services under Jordan’s Principle.

• Our desire is to respect and develop First Nations-led capital planning processes that result in quality capital assets, and address the needs of First Nations children. If pressed on operational changes impacting Provincial and Territorial off-reserve school boards

• Jordan’s Principle cannot sustainably fund provincial programming provided to all children, like education.

• The Government of Caanda wants to work with provinces, territories and First Nations partners to strengthen collaboration and ensure that we meet children’s needs together.

• Supports to school boards off-reserve and private schools will be redirected to provincial / territorial school boards.

• This allows Jordan’s Principle to remain focused on bridging gaps, addressing delays and service denials directly related to their identity as a First Nations child for government funded essential services. If pressed specifically on the Government of Northwest Territories school boards

• The Government of Canada recognizes that these operational changes may create hardships for some off-reserve school boards that have relied on substantial support from Jordan’s Principle for the past several year.

• Territorial governments oversee elementary and secondary education for all residents, including First Nations, supported by federal funding transferred through mechanisms like the Territorial Formula Financing and the Canadia Social Transfer.

• Jordan’s Principle continues to receive and review each request on a case-by-case basis and the eligibility criteria has not changed. If pressed on individual Jordan’s Principle cases
• ISC cannot comment on individual Jordan’s Principle requests due to privacy policies.

• Each Jordan’s Principle request is considered on a case-by-case basis, along with the required documentation for the request while taking into account the distinct needs of the child/children and gaps in other programs or services. An existing or previously approved request does not guarantee that a request for new funding will be renewed or approved.

• Our priority is supporting First Nations children’s equal access to the essential government funded products, services, and supports they need.