Education ministers from the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon will tell Ottawa changes to Jordan’s Principle funding must be reassessed as the territories cannot make up the difference, Caitlin Cleveland said on Wednesday.
Jordan’s Principle is a legal obligation the federal government is required to fulfill to ensure that First Nations children have equal access to services.
In February, the federal government released an operational bulletin notifying the public of updates to the way Jordan’s Principle is administered across Canada.
Alongside other changes, the federal bulletin stated that Jordan’s Principle funding requests from schools located off-reserve would not be approved unless required by “substantive equity.”
Speaking in the NWT legislature on Wednesday, Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh MLA Richard Edjericon said for weeks, “schools across the North have watched as their applications for Jordan’s Principle funding for the fall have come back denied, leaving them with a massive funding shortfall.”
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According to Edjericon, a school in Łútsël K’é is “losing five full-time education assistants” previously funded through the program. He said a school in Fort Resolution also “stands to lose a significant amount of federal funding.”
“This is a stark example of the chronic underfunding of Indigenous education in our territory,” Edjericon said.
NWT education minister Cleveland said changes to the delivery of Jordan’s Principle cash were a “huge concern” to education bodies in the territory.
Asked by Edjericon if she would take those concerns to the new federal minister of Crown-Indigenous relations – who happens to be the NWT’s MP, Rebecca Alty – Cleveland said: “I share the member’s concern and the answer is yes.”
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(The changes to Jordan’s Principle come from Indigenous Services Canada, which has a different minister, Mandy Gull-Masty.)
Edjericon had asked if the GNWT could “restore this critical funding” if Ottawa does not reverse course on its Jordan’s Principle amendments.
“One thing that needs to be very clear here is the GNWT cannot afford to take on the programs that the federal government introduces and does not continue,” Cleveland responded.
“Over the last number of years, officials at the Department of Education have reiterated to officials within the federal government that we cannot afford to take on this program should they choose not to continue it.
“That is why the Minister of Health and Social Services and I are teaming up together to deliver this message to Ottawa. That is why I have teamed up as well with education ministers from the Yukon and also from Nunavut, because this has an impact on Indigenous people across this country and across all three territories.”
‘Long-term sustainability’
The Dene Nation said earlier this year that the broader scope of changes to Jordan’s Principle announced in February raised “significant concern.”
Changes to the program came after the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal released a decision on January 29.
The decision – which followed evidence from the Canadian government that claims for things like modelling headshots and gaming consoles were being paid for through the program – asserted that “this was never what the Tribunal envisioned under Jordan’s Principle.”
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“It is troubling to know that some communities are living in poverty leaving children in precarious conditions and others would use Jordan’s Principle to access services a thousand miles away from the normative standard,” the decision read.
However, the ruling also included evidence brought by Dr Ryan Rioux in an affidavit, who spoke to social prescriptions and a holistic lens to the needs of First Nations youth.
“A gaming console that provides a displaced teenager with the ability to reconnect with their online gaming community may provide stability and mental wellness in a time of crisis,” the decision noted.
In September 2022, the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy (IFSD) – which is housed within the University of Ottawa – published a report on the application of Jordan’s Principle.
The report studied requests made during the 2020-21 fiscal year and found that the largest individual category of requests was for education supports (26 percent of requests) followed by healthy child development and medical travel (each 12 percent).
In the NWT, Jordan’s Principle has been used for everything from on-the-land programs in Inuvik to purchasing food during pandemic school closures.
In an emailed statement to Cabin Radio at the time of February’s changes, Indigenous Services Canada wrote in part: “The changes to our operational procedures are about ensuring long-term sustainability, keeping pace with increased demand, and expediting decision-making – all while staying true to the spirit of Jordan’s Principle.”
