The federal government recently announced $1.55 billion for Jordan’s Principle, but two Yukon organizations say the announcement changes nothing.

“If the federal government continues to put up barriers for people to access money, any funding announcement doesn’t really matter,” said Shadelle Chambers, the executive director of the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN).

At issue is an operational bulletin released just over a year ago that saw the scope of Jordan’s Principle funding narrowed significantly. 

Jordan’s Principle is meant to ensure that First Nations children receive the services and supports they need without delays caused by jurisdictional disputes between governments.

It’s named after Jordan River Anderson, who died at five years old while different levels of government battled over who would cover the costs of his medical care.

The federal government last year also changed the rules for group requests, increasing the administrative burden on organizations like CYFN, who might be seeking funding for hundreds of kids at once. 

For CYFN, the changes introduced last year mean a $13-million decrease in approved group funding. 

That’s how much money CYFN had at this time last year, Chambers said. This year, the organization has received nothing.

That money helped children and families access food, clothing, shelter, daycare and counselling, she said. 

Last April, Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin citizen Ashley Russell told CBC she relied on CYFN’s necessities of life program for grocery vouchers. When it was cancelled as a result of the funding changes, she was left feeling hopeless, she said. 

Asked this week how she feels about the latest announcement, Russell wrote she was too emotional about the topic for an interview. 

Ottawa mum on possible changes

Melanie Bennett, executive director of the Yukon First Nation Education Directorate, said she was expecting more from last week’s announcement. Last year’s changes led to staff and program cuts for the education organization.

Bennett said she’s been following discussions at a national level and was hoping changes to the operational bulletin would be part of the latest funding announcement.  

“That was my biggest hope in this. It’s … disappointing that they’re not actually addressing the root problem, which is the operational bulletin,” she said. 

Last December, APTN reported that Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty, who made last week’s announcement, said changes to the operational bulletin were coming and that she was “excited that we will soon be making announcements on what that change looks like.”

CYFN was the first Jordan’s Principle service coordinator in the Yukon and has worked with the funding since 2017, said Chambers. She called last year’s operational bulletin “the most significant barrier” in that time.

In a written statement, a spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada said that the department is “engaging with First Nations, provincial and territorial partners to strengthen collaboration and make sure that children’s needs are met together.”

Jordan’s Principle is a human rights principle, defined by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, not a federal program. Chambers says CYFN expects a budget announcement every February or March. 

“They do this each and every year.” 

The chart above shows funding commitments for Jordan’s Principle listed in federal budgets over the years. According to Indigenous Services Canada, the $1.55 billion announced last week includes the $773 million previously announced in Budget 2022. 

Chambers said Canada has never fully implemented Jordan’s Principle and that CYFN is looking to the federal government to do so through meaningful consultation with First Nations. 

Bennett and Chambers both say their organizations, through different avenues, have advocated for the federal government to address problems with Jordan’s Principle. 

“Unfortunately, a year later, we do not see any changes to that operational bulletin yet,” Chambers said.