First Nations Lose Jordan's Principle Programs
Funding for Jordan's Principle services decreased from $1.72 billion in 2023-24 to $1.64 billion in 2024-25.
First Nations across Canada are reporting loss of funding for children's programs due to changes in Jordan's Principle rules.
- Onigaming First Nation in northern Ontario has been under a state of emergency since 2024 due to high deaths, including suicides.
- Chief Jeff Copenace stated:
Just in the past four years, we’ve had 46 deaths. That’s roughly about 5 per cent of our population overall.
Onigaming had programs for mental health, including crisis response teams and an after-hours safety team, which are now at risk.
Author's summary: First Nations face loss of Jordan's Principle programs.