By Matt Fetinko

Better access to services

CHRT ruling on Jordan’s Principle “another win for our children”: Mary Teegee

Dec 1, 2020 | 12:24 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — Indigenous children will have better access to services thanks to a new ruling by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Previously, First Nations youth were only eligible for services under Jordan’s Principle if they fit within the Indian Act, however, those qualifications have now been expanded. A child can now qualify by passing any one of the following requirements:

• The child is registered or eligible to be registered under the Indian Act;
• The child has one parent/guardian who is registered or eligible to be registered under the Indian Act;
• The child is recognized by their Nation for the purposes of Jordan’s Principle; or
• The child ordinarily resides on reserve.

“This is another win for our children,” said Mary Teegee, Executive Director of Child and Family Services at Carrier Sekani Family Services.

“We have always attested that who we are as Indigenous people isn’t defined by the boundaries of an antiquated colonial reserve system. This is another step forward in solidifying our right to make decisions about our most important resource – our children.”

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Funding for Jordan’s Principle will no longer be a fixed amount, per the ruling. Instead, all eligible requests are required to be funded. Nations can also secure funding in order to develop their own recognition process. The new rules took effect immediately.

The Canadian government has until December 25, 2020, to dispute the decision.