Reclaiming the Spirit of Jordan's Principle: Lessons from a Canadian Human Rights Tribunal Ruling

• Main Authors: Churchill, Molly, Sinha, Vandna
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Review of Social Policy / Revue canadienne de politique sociale 2018
• Subjects: First Nations; Indigenous; children’s rights; Jordan’s Principle; substantive equality; public services; Canadian Human Rights Tribunal; CHRT; social policy; First Nations social policy; Canada; Premières Nations
• Online Access: https://crsp.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/crsp/article/view/40256

Jordan’s Principle is a child-first principle designed to ensure First Nation children do not experience delays, denials, or disruptions of services ordinarily available to other children in Canada. It was envisioned as a human rights principle tailored to address the unique risks of inequitable treatment arising from the complex structure of public services for First Nations. In 2016, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) found the federal government’s failure to implement Jordan’s Principle constitutes discrimination on the basis of race and/or national or ethnic origin, and ordered the federal government to cease this discrimination. In response, the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, one of the complainants in the case and a primary champion of Jordan’s Principle, called on the federal government to implement the principle immediately in keeping with the conclusions laid out in a 2015 report by the Jordan’s Principle Working Group (JPWG, 2015). This article provides an overview of the research presented and conclusions drawn in the report, integrating analysis of the initial CHRT rulings on Jordan’s Principle and of access to information documents received in the year following release of the report. Focusing on the rulings that the CHRT issued between January and September of 2016, we highlight requirements that the CHRT ruled the federal government must fulfill, as well as additional considerations that should be taken into account in implementing Jordan’s Principle.RésuméLe principe de Jordan est un principe de l’enfant d’abord qui vise à assurer que tous les enfants des Premières Nations reçoivent, sans délai, refus ou perturbation, les services qui seraient habituellement à la disposition des autres enfants au Canada. Il s’agissait d’un principe des droits de la personne conçu pour remédier aux risques uniques d’un traitement inéquitable découlant de la structure complexe des services publics pour les Premières Nations. Le Tribunal canadien des droits de la personne (TCDP) a récemment ...