The Six Nations of the Grand River Jordan’s Principle Team says it will no longer be able to offer emergency funding for shelter, clothing, food and other needs.
Six Nations of the Grand River (SNGR) said in a press release Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) is implementing changes to operating procedures related to processing requests under
Jordan's Principle.
“We have not received a decision on emergency funds for 2024/2025,” SNGR said. “While we are no longer able to provide financial support for pending applications until they are approved
by ISC, we are still able to support approved individual applications.”
Jordan’s Principle is a human rights principle established by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal to make sure that First Nations children do not face gaps, delays or denials in accessing government services because of their identity as First Nations children.
Jordan’s Principle includes a federal fund that caregivers can access to help finance access to government services.
Some of the changes to Jordan’s Principle include:
-Each new request will be considered on a case-by-case basis. An existing or previously approved request does not guarantee that a request for new funding will be renewed or
approved.
-Requests must show how the requested product, service, or support meets the distinct needs of the First Nations child and how the child either experienced gaps or delays in accessing
government services or was denied an existing government service because of their identity as a First Nations child.
The press release noted that the following items will not be approved
-Purchase, construction, or structural renovations of homes
-Requests to support sporting events or elite/competitive sport-related training unless linked to the specific health, social, or educational needs of the First Nations child
-International travel, unless related to an exceptional medical need of the First Nations child.
-Non-medical supports such as travel costs, non-medical respite care, child care, clothing, furniture and vehicles, unless accompanied by a letter of support from a medical professional
-The professional must be able to provide a child-specific recommendation based on their professional designation and their knowledge of the First Nation child's specific needs.
-School-related requests, unless linked to the specific health, social, or educational need of the First Nations child
-Supports to school boards off-reserve and private schools will be redirected to provincial school boards, or other existing provincial and federally-funded programs.
-Automatic administrative fees within group requests, including salaries, service fees, and overhead costs.
SNGR is urging caregivers to clearly explain how the requested product, service, or support will address the child's specific health, social, or educational needs and to include supporting
documentation and accompanied by a letter of support that demonstrates how the requested product, service, or support links directly to the child's unmet health, social, or educational
needs.
Some of those letters of support can come from a health professional, educational professional, or an Elder or Knowledge Keeper, depending on their expertise as it relates to their ability to determine the unmet needs of the child and the supports required.
The person must be within the child's circle of care, SNGR notes.
And for professionals providing a letter of support, this should be made within their scope of practice.
“If you are requesting additional funding to extend services for the child, updated letters of support are required to support the child's changing needs or to demonstrate a need for
continued supports or services.”
Parents are also encouraged to include any relevant assessments or diagnoses and provide a breakdown of the costs associated with the request.
First Nations advocacy organizations such as the Assembly of First Nations, have been sounding the alarm over backlogs in Jordan’s Principle funding since last fall.
The family of the child the principle is named after, Jordan River Anderson, has taken to social media to condemn abuse of the program, saying it’s no longer working as intended.
Ernest Anderson, Jordan’s father, says the program is not serving his son’s memory well.
“If your kid was to be used like that, you wouldn’t like it.” Jordan, of Norway House Cree First Nation, died in 2005 at a hospital in Winnipeg after the federal and provincial government couldn’t agree on who was responsible for the boy’s care.
Federal government statistics show that urgent requests grew by 900 percent from 2021 to 2023.
More than 10,000 funding requests a year are made through Jordan’s Principle.
