Statement by Jean Crowder on the decision of the Federal Court in favour of Jordan’s Principle

On behalf of all New Democrats, I would like to commend the decision of the Federal Court of Canada to uphold Jordan’s Principle in the case of Jeremy Meawasige, a teenager with disabilities living on the Pictou Landing First Nation reserve.

The FCC found that the federal government must reimburse the Pictou Landing First Nation for the money it had spent providing home care for Jeremy after his primary caregiver, his mother Maurina Beadle, suffered a stroke.

In doing so, the Court upheld that sending Jeremy away to an institution because that was the provincial standard of care was unjust because that was not the only option available. Providing around-the-clock home care, as his mother had done before her stroke, was also an option.

In his judgement, Justice Mandamin said, “Jordan’s Principle is not to be narrowly interpreted.”

As a New Democrat, I put forward the motion on Jordan’s Principle in 2007 that received unanimous support from the House of Commons.

Although motions are not binding on the government, the Minister agreed to start implementing Jordan’s Principle immediately. This is the first court case to determine how the principle should be interpreted.

Maurina Beadle and the Pictou Landing First Nation deserve praise for their determination to see that Jordan’s Principle received legal recognition by the courts.

I also want to thank the family of Jordan River Anderson for their brave battle to let all Canadians know of the disparity in funding that First Nations children living on-reserve face. They wanted Jordan’s Principle to be more than words and the decision by the Federal Court shows that it can be.