Yukon non-profit sues feds after defunding of meal program for First Nations kids

A Yukon non-profit says the federal government is wrongfully dragging its feet on reconsidering a decision to cut funding for a program that delivered nutritious meals to hundreds of First Nations children in rural areas of the territory.

The Yukon First Nation Education Directorate Society filed an application in Federal Court this month, seeking to compel Indigenous Services Canada to make a decision on an appeal of the funding cut.

The application says the society’s rural nutrition program served about 900 First Nations children, delivering food to rural communities for around $15 a day per child since 2019.

The funding came from the federal government under Jordan’s Principle, which is supposed to ensure First Nations children have equitable access to government services.

The society claims it applied for another round of funding for the program for 2025-2026, but Indigenous Services Canada denied the funding request in August 2025.

The society appealed the denial, but claims the federal department has shirked its legal obligation to deliver a “timely appeal decision.”

“Yukon First Nations children who depend on its services are irreparably harmed by the ongoing delay,” the application says.

“As a result of the delay, approximately 900 First Nations children have lost access to nutritious daily meals, which significantly increases food insecurity and prejudices their equal opportunity to succeed in school.”

The society says Indigenous Services Canada has missed a 30-day deadline by several months, but the federal department has committed to delivering a decision by June 2026.

The Yukon First Nation Education Directorate Society, its lawyers and Indigenous Services Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The application says the department blamed the delay on “a significant increase in demand for products, services, and supports under Jordan’s Principle.”

It says the program operated in 13 rural First Nations communities, which provided funds to hire cooks, maintain kitchens and deliver food to kids, including breakfast and school lunches, and seasonal food hampers.

The society’s application says the Liard First Nation is the biggest community served by the education directorate’s programs, where more than 60 per cent of households with children are “classified as food insecure.”

“Rural Yukon First Nations have high rates of food insecurity,” the application says. “This food insecurity reflects lower household income in the community, paired with considerably higher food costs. The lack of nutrition services has a disproportionate impact on rural First Nations children because of their historical experiences with public education.”

It says the funding denial spelled the end of the program in seven months ago.

The Yukon First Nation Education Directorate said in a statement released in September that it believed Indigenous Services Canada “was grossly misinformed in their denial.”

The statement said the funding denial came amid the federal department claiming earlier funding was only temporary as families were to be connected with other existing community support services.

“There are no such existing services or supports. Only four of the 13 communities receive monthly food boxes from Yukon Food Bank — non-perishable, nutrient-poor cans and boxes that last a family only a week,” the statement said.

The Federal Court application says the rural food program was also heralded as a success story by the federal government, and featured as a “promising case” in a study by researchers at the University of Saskatchewan.

“This denial has left Yukon’s most vulnerable children without nutritious daily meals, children who regularly go hungry and have inconsistent and unreliable sources of food,” the application says.

Indigenous Services Canada has not filed a response to the court application.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 24, 2026

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press