Feds earmark $1.55 billion to ensure equal services for First Nations kids

OTTAWA — Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty announced $1.55 billion in federal funding Thursday to support Jordan’s Principle, a legal principle that states First Nations children must have equal access to social and health services.

MPs unanimously passed a motion in 2007 committing the government to ensuring First Nations children get necessary services without delays caused by jurisdictional squabbles between governments.

The principle is named after Jordan River Anderson of Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba. Born in 1999 with multiple disabilities, Anderson died at five years old without ever leaving the hospital because federal and provincial governments couldn’t decide who should pay for his at-home care.

The new federal funding, which is set to last until 2027, comes as Gull-Masty faces criticism for not repealing an operational bulletin released last year that limited the scope of services covered by Jordan’s Principle.

That operational bulletin bars approvals for home renovations, sporting events, international travel, non-medical supports or school-related requests unless they’re required to ensure equality with kids who are not First Nations.

Those changes have been criticized by First Nations leaders who say their communities are now unable to access educational and mental health supports for kids who once qualified under Jordan’s Principle.

One First Nations grandmother took the government to Federal Court last year for failing to approve $200,000 in home renovations to remove harmful mould that was causing health issues for her grandchildren.

The Federal Court ruled the government’s denial of that request was unreasonable and the government subsequently lost an appeal at the Federal Court of Appeal last December.

Child welfare advocate Cindy Blackstock has said the changes to Jordan’s Principle were made unilaterally, were not evidence-based and fed into colonial stereotypes.

She said she wants Gull-Masty to walk back those changes and explain what she’ll do if the funding runs out before year’s end.

Citing a backlog of some 130,000 Jordan’s Principle cases, Blackstock — who heads the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society — said it feels like Indigenous Services is in “chaos” and is failing to meet the needs of First Nations children.

“They are doing everything except taking legitimate measures to address that chaos inside of the department. That is the source of the discrimination,” Blackstock said ahead of the announcement Thursday.

“I’ve heard from leadership who have repeatedly urged the minister to repeal that discriminatory bulletin, to address the backlog in cases and comply with the legal orders. And yet she has chosen not to do so, so far.”

The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ordered Ottawa to address the backlog in 2024 after Blackstock filed a non-compliance motion against Ottawa. Blackstock refuses to recognize it as a “backlog” and instead calls it “130,000 violations of legal orders.”

Gull-Masty said Thursday Jordan’s Principle has “grown rapidly because the needs are very urgent and real,” and the government has addressed some 120,000 cases.

Responding to concerns raised by Blackstock, Gull-Masty said she’s working with families to restructure Jordan’s Principle criteria. She said the changes made last year resulted in more difficult paperwork for community members submitting requests.

“While I know and understand that Dr. Blackstock wishes that the operational bulletin was repealed, we want to ensure that it is meeting the needs of children and what their supports and services look like,” Gull-Masty said.

“We want to do it with certainty, providing stability. We know that there’s more room and space for reform to be looked at.”

Blackstock in December warned chiefs against meeting with Gull-Masty to discuss Jordan’s Principle, saying she worried the minister would cherry-pick cases to support more stringent guidelines.

Jordan’s Principle stems from a human rights complaint filed by the Assembly of First Nations and the First Nations Family and Caring Society in 2007. They argued First Nations kids were being denied equal services to other children as a result of the constant jurisdictional disputes.

Canada has since argued before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal that the scope of the principle has become too broad and applicants were unduly labelling some requests as urgent.

Gull-Masty announced $115 million last week to renew for one year funding for the Inuit Child First Initiative, the Inuit equivalent of Jordan’s Principle.

Inuit and First Nations leaders warned of funding gaps before both announcements.

When asked Thursday why the funding was not announced sooner, Gull-Masty pointed to a “new budgeting process” but said she was never worried the program would be left without funding.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 26, 2026.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press