Jordan’s Principle is a child-first principle that ensures all First Nations children can access the same level of services and care as other Canadian children. It is named after Jordan River Anderson, a young boy from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba, who was born with complex medical needs and lived his entire life in a hospital while the federal and provincial governments argued over who should pay for his care. Jordan passed away in 2005 at the age of five, without ever being able to live with his family in their home community.
The principle was first introduced in the House of Commons in 2007 and was unanimously passed as a motion. It states that when a jurisdictional dispute arises over services to a First Nations child, the government or service provider first must ensure that the child receives the necessary service and then resolve the dispute later. Jordan’s Principle ensures that First Nations children have the same access to services as all other children, without being delayed or denied services due to jurisdictional disputes between different levels of government.
The Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) has been at the forefront of advocating for Jordan’s Principle since its inception and throughout the provincial education system. Their efforts have led to the recent expansion of Jordan’s Principle to seven additional school divisions, bringing the total number of school divisions with a Jordan’s Principle Coordinator to nine. This significant achievement will help ensure that Indigenous children in these school divisions have access to the resources they need to succeed in school and life.
“It’s a great day, when I can state that another seven school divisions in our Territory now have a Jordan’s Principle Coordinator,” said SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels. “Their mandate is to focus on ensuring First Nation students have equitable access to the full scope of services and supports needed to achieve the best possible educational outcomes alongside their non-First Nation classmates. With this announcement, we are helping to make that happen for thousands more First Nation students.”
The importance of Jordan’s Principle cannot be overstated. Indigenous children in Canada face significant barriers to accessing the same level of services as non-Indigenous children. This includes access to education, healthcare, and social services. These barriers are often rooted in historical and ongoing discrimination and systemic racism, which have led to significant disparities in the well-being of Indigenous children.
Jordan’s Principle is a national initiative that seeks to address these disparities by ensuring that Indigenous children have access to the same level of services as non-Indigenous children. It is a child-first principle that recognizes the importance of ensuring that all children have the resources they need to thrive. By expanding Jordan’s Principle Program to additional school divisions, the SCO is helping to ensure that more Indigenous children have access to the resources they need to succeed.
The expansion of Jordan’s Principle is an important milestone, but much work still needs to be done, especially when it comes to graduating Indigenous students from high school. The SCO believes improved access and support from the expansion of Jorndan’s Principle will help increase the four-year high school graduation rate for Indigenous students. As of now, the rate of graduation from high school for Indigenous students sits at 50.7 per cent in comparison to the Manitoba provincial average of 81.9 per cent and 89.9 per cent for non-Indigenous students.
Today’s announcement builds on announcements made in 2022 when SCO launched Jordan’s Principle Coordinators in the Winnipeg School Division and Brandon School Division. The new school divisions include:
1. Lord Selkirk School Division
2. Louis Riel School Division
3. Pembina Trails School Division
4. Portage la Prairie School Division
5. River East Transcona School Division
6. St. James-Assiniboia School Division
7. Seven Oaks School Division
Grand Chief Daniels and the SCO remain optimistic that with the expansion of Jordan’s Principle and the community of Southern Chiefs, one day, the rate of Indigenous students graduating high school will be on par with the provincial average or exceed it.
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