Jordan’s Principle (named after Jordan River Anderson) is a child-first principle intended to ensure that First Nations children can access the health, education and social services they need without delay. Jordan’s Principle was unanimously endorsed by a House of Commons motion in 2007. 

Jordan River Anderson, from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba, was born in 1999 with multiple disabilities. He died at the age of five, having spent his entire life in hospital and never having lived in a loving home. This was due to a jurisdictional dispute between federal and provincial governments over who should fund the services required for Jordan to live at-home. 

While Jordan’s Principle has been life-changing and positive for many First Nations children, the federal funding and infrastructure for Jordan’s Principle have been criticized by First Nations, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) and the Federal Court for being poorly coordinated, lacking clear definitions and insufficiently documented.

The federal government’s implementation of Jordan’s Principle continues to evolve, in response to a series of CHRT rulings. For comprehensive information about the Tribunal's landmark ruling, First Nations child welfare and Jordan’s Principle, see the I Am a Witness campaign by the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada.