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NAN press release ...

NAN Welcomes Government of Ontario’s Commitment to Jordan’s Principle

THUNDER BAY, ON Wednesday April 22, 2009: Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Stan Beardy welcomed a statement by Ontario Minister of Aboriginal Affairs Brad Duguid in Queen’s Park today affirming the Government of Ontario’s commitment to Jordan’s Principle, a child-first principle aimed at resolving jurisdictional disputes around the care of First Nations children.

“I am very pleased that the Government of Ontario has formally pledged its support for Jordan’s Principle,” said Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Stan Beardy, who attended the announcement in the Ontario Legislature along with other NAN First Nation leaders. “Jordan’s Principle will ensure that the health and well-being of First Nation children takes priority over bureaucratic bickering over who should pay the bills. This will ensure that First Nations Children have access to the same level of care and services as all children in Canada without undue delay.”

Jordan’s Principle is named in honour of Jordan River Anderson, an Anishnawbe child from northern Manitoba who was born with complex medical needs and placed in foster care so he could access the services he required. Despite being medically fit to be transferred to a foster home closer to his First Nation, the four-year-old child died in hospital in 2003 while two government parties argued over payment of expenses related to his at-home care.

Jordan’s Principle is a child-first principle that provides that the government, ministry or department of ‘first contact’ must pay for services for a First Nations child without delay or disruption in the event of a jurisdictional dispute between two government parties. It has been endorsed by the Assembly of First Nations and the Canadian Medical Association.

“Jordan’s Principle means putting the child first, and that is significant for the health and well-being of the children of Nishnawbe Aski and First Nation communities across Canada,” said Beardy, who has raised health and child welfare issues with both the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada. “Many First Nation children, especially those in remote communities, experience unnecessary delays accessing appropriate care and services due to intergovernmental and jurisdictional disputes over the payment of services. Jordan’s Principle is designed to eliminate that.”

Dr. K. Kellie Leitch recommended that the Government of Canada apply Jordan’s Principle in a 2008 report for Health Canada - Reaching For the Top: A Report by the Advisor on Healthy Children & Youth, stating: “No discussion of enhancements and additions to the health services of First Nations and Inuit children and youth can be made without comment on the issue of Jordan’s Principle.”

Nishnawbe Aski Nation formally endorsed Jordan’s Principle in 2007 and is one of more than 2,000 organizations to sign a Joint Declaration of Support. A Private Members Motion in support of Jordan’s Principle passed the House of Commons in December 2007.

Nishnawbe Aski Nation is a political territorial organization representing 49 First Nation communities in James Bay Treaty 9 and Ontario portions of Treaty 5 – an area covering two thirds of the province of Ontario.

For more information please contact Michael Heintzman, Media Relations Officer – Nishnawbe Aski Nation (807) 625 4906 or (807) 621 2790 mobile.

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COO press release ...

Chiefs in Ontario Welcomes Ontario’s Statement on Jordan’s Principle

April 23, 2009

Regional Chief Angus Toulouse commends the statement on Jordan’s Principle, made yesterday by Ontario Minister of Aboriginal Affairs Brad Duguid in the provincial legislature on behalf of the Government of Ontario, as a long-awaited and positive step in ensuring the health and well-being of First Nations children in Ontario.”

Ontario’s pledge to work with First Nations on the implementation of Jordan’s Principle was attended by representatives of the Chiefs in Ontario Committee on Health. “I am pleased that the Government of Ontario has formally pledged to work with us on resolving this long-standing issue. First Nations children must be able to access the same health care services afforded every other child in Canada. We believe a child’s needs must take precedence over bureaucratic disputes,” said Regional Chief Angus Toulouse.

Jordan’s Principle is named after Jordan River Anderson, born in 1999, with a serious medical condition. In 2001, medical staff reported that Jordan was well enough to return to his community. This good news should have been cause for celebration, but Jordan never had the chance to go home. Instead Jordan was forced to remain in hospital because federal and provincial governments engaged in a jurisdictional dispute over who would cover the cost for his medical care. The jurisdictional dispute was settled shortly after Jordan’s fourth birthday, but not in time for Jordan who passed away at the age of 5. Jordan’s Principle states that when a First Nations child requires medical care the government who first comes into contact with the child will immediately pay for the child’s health care and that any jurisdictional disputes will be worked out afterward.

On December 12, 2007, the House of Commons unanimously supported a motion supporting Jordan’s Principle. That motion stated that: “the government should immediately adopt a child first principle, based on Jordan's Principle, to resolve jurisdictional disputes involving the care of First Nations children.” Yesterday’s announcement by the province signalled a first-step by Ontario on ensuring respect for this principle.

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For more information, please contact:
Kathleen Pilcher
Chiefs of Ontario
807-626-9339 or 416-452-2474
kathleen@coo.org