The Yukon First Nation Education Directorate (YFNED) is pursuing legal action against Indigenous Services Canada, reports CBC. YFNED Executive Director Melanie Bennett says that the organization filed an appeal with ISC about the termination of its Jordan’s Principle funding for a nutrition program. The appeal was filed seven months ago with no response; ISC’s guidelines state that the department must respond within 90 business days. YFNED Director of First Nations Initiatives Courtney Wheelton stated that school attendance has dropped, with students saying that they miss having meals at the school. In a statement, ISC asserted that Jordan’s Principle is “not intended to replace existing federal/provincial or territorial universal programs,” and pointed to the National School Lunch Program that is intended to address food insecurity. Bennett said that the national program would amount to $1.44 per day per child, while the previous funding provided $15 per day per child, and asserted that the government’s statement demonstrated a fundamental misunderstanding of the principle.
