First Nations Lose Jordan's Principle Programs
First Nations across Canada are experiencing a loss of Jordan's Principle programs due to reduced funding.
Funding for Jordan's Principle services decreased from $1.72 billion in 2023-24 to $1.64 billion in 2024-25.
Onigaming First Nation in northern Ontario, under a state of emergency since 2024, has been affected by this change. The community has seen 46 deaths in the past four years, including deaths by suicide, which is roughly 5% of their population.
“Just in the past four years, we’ve had 46 deaths. That’s roughly about 5 per cent of our population overall,” said Chief Jeff Copenace.
Onigaming had various programs to address mental health issues, including crisis response teams and an after-hours safety team, but these are now at risk due to the loss of funding.
Author's summary: First Nations face loss of Jordan's Principle programs.