b'GENERATIONAL SUPPORTW hospital. He died there, never being able tothe system is calibrated towards self-interest. e know in political science that youlive in a family home, says Blackstock. HeIn a democracy, thats where the population only need 3.5was five when he died. has some power.per cent of the population to contact their official and pressJordans Principle ensures that the injusticeDespite legal victories and increasing public for change, says Cindy Blackstock. Asdone to Jordan and his family will not beattention now being paid to these urgent the Executive Director of the First Nationsglossed over or forgotten, and Blackstockissues, Blackstock expresses frustration. Child and Family Caring Society of Canadasays she believes that it is becoming lessStudies and court decisions are meaningless in Ottawa and Professor of Social Work ateasy for Canadians to ignore the realities ofunless they bring about concrete action. McGill University, Blackstock has dedicateddiscrimination against First Nations children.Meanwhile, children are at risk of harm much of her career to making change,What weve seen is that when the profoundand even death. The solutions are already particularly in the area of discriminationnumber of legal losses for the governmentin the books, she says. The focus should against First Nations children. piled upwhich were wins for usandnot be on creating solutions, but on imple-with the truth of the children in unmarkedmenting the ones that are on the books.A pivotal achievement was Blackstocksgraves [on the sites of former residential leadership in the human-rights complaintschools], people didnt turn the page quiteBlackstock enumerates a list of recommen-against the federal government that resultedso quickly. That pressure forced Canada todations and guidelines already in existence, in a pivotal 2016 ruling by the Canadianact, she says. We need to get the public Human Rights Tribunal. The Tribunalnot to look away so fast, because govern- ranging from the Truth and Reconciliation found that the Government of Canada wasments dont make change; they respondCommissions Calls to Action to the guilty of systemic discrimination againstto change. Parliamentary Budget Officers reports on First Nations children on reserve becauseUrban, Rural, and Northern Indigenous they were not provided with the same levelHousing (February 2021) or Clean of support as other children in Canada. CHANGING THE SYSTEM Water for First Nations (December 2021), Blackstock, a member of the Gitxsan FirstBlackstock points out that, because electedor community-based reports, Auditor Nation, was also a key force behind theofficials and the bureaucracy are set up toGenerals reports, Senate Committee 2021 agreement between the Canadianrespond to the demands of the majority,reportsits endless, she says.government and First Nations leaders that promises $40 billion in compensation for First Nations children harmed byGET TRAINED. GET HIRED.discriminatory treatment within the childGET TRAINED. GET HIRED.welfare system.Blackstocks work on these issues has"Eyagoyadagn:ha - Helping the People"received national recognition. In 2021, she ranked 27th on Macleans Power List, a ranking of 50 influential Canadians. InEmployer & Client Supports2022, she was named one of Canadas Top 25 Women of Influence and given the keyTraining on the job Employment Supportsto the City of Winnipeg. Wage Subsidies ApprenticeshipsBut Blackstock is far more interested inJob Search Assistance Career Counsellingturning the spotlight on the children than in basking in its glow herself. Her focus isE.I Assistance Workshops & Job Fairsthe simple idea that First Nations children should be able to get the public servicesRecruitment & Hiring Supportthey need when they need them, a concept enshrined in Jordans Principle, named for Jordan River Anderson of Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba. CONTACT US TODAY TO START YOUR CAREER!He had medical needs when he was born,519-445-2222 | greatsn.com | @greatsixnationsBlackstock says. At the age of two, he should have gone home and would haveToll-free: 1-888-218-8230gone home if he had been of any other race. However, when the time came to discharge him, the federal and provincial governments became enmeshed in red tape trying to decide which government should pay for his home care, and Jordan never left the Ontario Native Womens Association17'