The federal government has announced $382 million in new funding to implement Jordan’s Principle — the rule adopted by the House of Commons in 2007 ensuring equal access to health care and social services for First Nations children.
The money will fund the Liberal government’s “new approach” to implementing the principle with the funds directed to ensure that “children’s needs are assessed and responded to quickly.”
Jordan’s Principle is named after Jordan River Anderson, a four-year-old boy with serious and complex medical needs who died in hospital in 2005 after a drawn-out court battle between the federal government and Manitoba over who should pay his home-care costs.
While Indigenous people are a federal responsibility, the provinces deliver health care and social services, which has led to confusion over who is responsible for Aboriginal children’s needs.
In 2007, the House of Commons adopted the principle that First Nations children should be able to access the same government services as non-Indigenous children.
Full article at: CBC News