Jordan’s Principle
Jordan’s Principle outlines a series of rules regarding funding for Indigenous children’s healthcare.
History of Jordan’s Principle
Jordan River Anderson was a child from Norway House Cree Nation, who was born with complex health needs. He spent two years in the hospital while the government of Manitoba and the federal government argued over which of them were obligated to pay for his at-home care—care which would have been funded immediately had he not been First Nations. Jordan died at the age of 5 in a hospital room, while the provincial and federal governments were still disputing funding. He was never able to go home.
The First Nations Caring Society and the Assembly of First Nations, took his case, along with other evidence of underfunding of the Child and Family Services on-reserve, to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, which ruled that the government of Canada was willful and reckless in the underfunding, that they knew what they were doing was causing harm, and that they failed to act on it.
The CHRT then made an order to compensate families that were impacted in the underfunding of Child and Family Services. They also made an order that created Jordan’s Principle, which is an initiative that is meant to ensure that First Nations children can access the support they need, when they need it.
How It Works
Jordan’s Principle helps close the gaps in publicly funded health, social, and education programs to ensure that children like Jordan aren’t left behind. It covers all public services, which includes mental health, special education, dental, physical therapy, medical equipment, physiotherapy, and more. It also supports culturally appropriate services and will go above and beyond the standard public services offered to non-Indigenous people if they are found to be in the best interest of the child.
Who Can Apply
First Nations children under 19 who live in Canada are eligible to receive support as well as non-status children who live on-reserve. A parent or guardian can apply on behalf of a child as well as an authorized representative of the child, parent, or guardian. If the child is over 16 years of age, they can also apply for themselves.
If the request is for a group of children from multiple families, a request can also be submitted by a community or service provider, a service coordinator, or a case manager or navigator.
How to Get Compensation
Jordan’s Principle is free to access. You can fill and submit the application forms yourself or one of our Jordan’s Principle Program Coordinators can help you.
Jordan’s Principle Coordinators
Carrie Higginbottom
Service area: Central
- St’uxwtéws (Bonaparte)
- Llenllenéy’ten (High Bar)
- Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (Kamloops)
- Skítsesten (Skeetchestn)
- Stil’qw/Pelltíq’t (Whispering Pines/Clinton)
- Simpcw – Chu Chua (Barriere)
Service area: Lakes
- Sk’atsin (Neskonlith)
- Sexqeltqín (Adams Lake)
- Skw’lax te Secwépemcúl̓ecw (Little Shuswap);
- Splatsin (Enderby)
- Kenpésq’t (Shuswap)
Rebecca Rochon
Service area: North
- Tsq’éscen (Canim Lake)
- Stswecem’c/Xgat’tem (Canoe/Dog Creek)
- T’éxel’c – Williams Lake; Xatśūll (Soda Creek)
- Esk’etemc (Alkali Lake)
Marsha Spinks
Service area: Kamloops & region (urban/off-reserve)
Support After Hours
If you’re unsure of who to contact, or if you require support after hours, please contact the Jordan’s Principle National Call Centre. They are available 24/7.
Jordan’s Principle Call Centre: 1-855-JP-CHILD (1-855-572-4453)
Teletypewriter: 1-866-553-0554
Website: canada.ca/jordans-principle
On weekends and statutory holidays, BC’s duty phone is monitored from 8:00 am PST to 3:00 pm PST to help with urgent and time-sensitive requests.
BC Region duty phone: 1-788-951-0716
BC Region general inbox: principedejordancb-bcjordansprinciple@sac-isc.gc.ca
BC Region payments inbox : paiementsprincipedejordancb-bcjordansprinciplepayments@sac-isc.gc.ca
More Resources
Some services have easier-to-access funding than Jordan’s Principle. Before you apply, you may want to explore some of these options.
Dental Funding
You can receive funding for dental services from the following organizations:
BC Healthy Kids Program
The BC Healthy Kids Program provides basic coverage for dental, optical, and hearing assistance treatment to children in low-income families, who are not already receiving income, disability, or hardship assistance.
Canadian Dental Care Plan
The Canadian Dental Care Plan supports Canadian residents without dental insurance, who have filed their tax returns in Canada and have an adjusted family net income of less than $90,000.