Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a) & (b), the Minister of Indigenous Services and the Government of Canada are fully committed to implementing Jordan’s Principle. There are no full-time equivalent, or FTE, reductions forecasted.
Canada and its Inuit partners continue to work towards implementation of a Inuit-led co-developed model. There are no intentions to sunset the Inuit Child First Initiative and there are no full-time equivalent reductions forecasted.
In March 2024, the Indigenous Services Canada, or ISC, Departmental Plan was tabled. It reflects the planned spending and human resources as per the Main Estimates for the 2024–25 fiscal year, which includes spending for previous funding decisions, such as initiatives announced in prior federal budgets. It does not include supplementary funding decisions that occur throughout the fiscal year to ensure that previously planned government initiatives receive the necessary funding to move them forward. Supplementary Estimates are part of the normal parliamentary approval process and are published throughout the year.
With regard to (c), Jordan's Principle and the Inuit Child First Initiative monitor the number of requests determined by group and individual service models as well as by type of services requested to ascertain demand. Based on utilization patterns to date, and the increasing delivery of services and products to requesters, Canada foresees that the demand will likely increase.
With regard to (d), ISC tracks and reports on results related to health and well-being at a population level, such as physical and mental health, and access to quality federally funded health services, to measure progress and inform the services provided to support First Nations and Inuit children. This monitoring is regardless of the specific ISC services accessed by individuals.
As Jordan’s Principle and the Inuit Child First Initiatives are request driven, Canada does not monitor the health of those accessing these services, nor engage in the specific development and monitoring of indicators for tracking health care needs at the specific level. Canada does monitor the number of requests and type of services requested to ascertain demand. Based on utilization patterns to date, and the increasing delivery of services and products to requesters, Canada foresees that the demand will likely increase.
Canada ensures the necessary operational and policy resources to meet the growing requests for both Initiatives and works with its many partners and stakeholders to understand the changing needs of the children to make any necessary adjustments.