Leaders with the Interlake Reserve Tribal Council (IRTC) say they’re owed $1.5 million in Jordan’s Principle funding from the federal government by the end of January.
At a press conference, IRTC member chiefs and councillors said the delay in funding has left their communities scrambling.
“I just had a call today from a member that she needs her rent paid or she’s going to be evicted,” said IRTC Council Chair Chief Cornell McLean. “She has a child that’s severely disabled. What am I to do? I paid the rent. That’s what I had to do.”
“We’ve had to step in with our own source revenue to step in for a program that’s funded, a program that’s been ruled and a program that’s been long legal,” said Pinaymootang First Nation Chief Kurvis Anderson.
Chief McLean said 900 families are affected.
Little Saskatchewan First Nation councillor Darrell Shorting said he’s prepared to take drastic measures.
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“We try to be friendly all the time,” he said. “But enough being friendly. If things aren’t listened to on our end here, I will shut down number 6 highway.”
On Nov. 21, The Canadian Human Rights tribunal found a backlog in Jordan’s Principle cases. It ordered Canada to come up with a detailed plan on how to address the backlog by Dec. 10.
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IRTC leaders also say there’s little oversight on how Jordan’s Principle funding is spent, and that it’s been up to them to coordinate funding distribution. Chief McLean says the IRTC’s Jordan’s Principle spending passed an audit of the past 8 years, but he says more rules could help the program.
“Those guidelines need to be implemented in order to have a more successful program, I believe,” he said.
Jordan’s Principle is named after Jordan River Anderson, a boy from Norway House Cree Nation who died in hospital while the provincial and federal governments fought over who would pay for his medical care. Years after his passing, Jordan’s Principle was established to ensure First Nations children get the care and services they need in a timely manner while payments are sorted out later.
According to Indigenous Services Canada’s website, the federal government has committed 3.5 billion dollars to Jordan’s Principle since 2016. It’s meant to address gaps that can lead to delayed or denied services for First Nations children. The funding can be used to cover things such as medical equipment, mental health services, and cultural programming.
In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada denied the IRTC’s claim of a funding delay.
“To date, $28.8 million in approved funding has been distributed to IRTC and its communities for the 2024-25 fiscal year. There is an additional $13 million in approved funding that will be allocated to IRTC and its communities based on the schedule in their contribution agreements,” they said.
The IRTC is a partnership between Dauphin River First Nation, Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation, Lake Manitoba First Nation, Lake St. Martin First Nation, Little Saskatchewan First Nation, Peguis First Nation, and Pinaymootang First Nation.