Mr. Speaker, Jordan's principle has been developed to ensure that all first nations children are cared for appropriately and in a timely manner where jurisdictional disputes exist among governments.
Last week, Premier Gordon Campbell publicly supported Jordan's principle. He went on to say that he hoped that British Columbia would be the first province to implement this child-first principle. The NDP government in Manitoba has asked for meetings with its federal counterparts to discuss implementing Jordan's principle, but its request has been denied.
Why are provinces leading the way, even though it is the constitutional responsibility of the government to ensure aboriginal children ensure the same standard of care as all other Canadians?
On December 12, 2007, the House voted unanimously to endorse Jordan's principle. When will the Conservative government meet with its provincial counterparts to ensure no first nations child is left behind?