He is our hero:Family of Jordan River Anderson honours his legacy

Supporters came out in Winnipeg to bear witness to the 20th anniversary of Jordan’s Principle, named after the late Jordan River Anderson. The five year old from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba had multiple disabilities and died on Feb. 2, 2005 after spending his life living in Winnipeg’s children’s hospital. He was deemed fit at the age of two to live in a home appropriate for his medical needs but instead had to wait while the federal and provincial governments fought over who should pay for his on-reserve, home-based health care. The delay meant Jordan never got the chance to live with his family in their home. It’s a loss still felt by his family, who wish he could have healed while under their care. “I want everybody to remember that Jordan was loved by his whole family,” says his sister Jerleen Sullivan, “He had a mother, he had a father, he has 5 sisters and 6 brothers and we all cared about him very much and we all wanted him back home.” Two years after his death, in 2007, former NDP MP Jean Crowder put forward a motion that was adopted by Parliament. While the motion didn’t compel the government to act, it developed Jordan’s Principle program. Motion M-269 stated, “The government should immediately adopt a child-first principle, based on Jordan’s Principle, to resolve jurisdictional disputes involving the care of First Nations children.” The goal of the motion was that support and services needs of First Nations children would not again be delayed by jurisdictional disputes. Jordan’s family gathered in Winnipeg’s Memorial Park among a crowd of a couple hundred children and adults to honour his legacy. Fuzzy mascots, blue teddy bears, and inflatable bouncy castles stood as reminders of the spirit of childhood. His father Ernest was emotional from the turn out, saying it was nice to see Indigenous and non-Indigenous people showing their “unbreakable” support. Sullivan says their family will continue advocating for what Jordan’s Principle stands for. “We see Jordan’s spirit everywhere, in all these children that gathered here today,” says Sullivan, “He is fighting from the spirit world, he is a spirit warrior.” “He is our hero and he fights for every First Nations child in Canada.” Read More:  ‘If Mason didn’t have hockey, I don’t know if I’d have a son’: The kids and communities caught in Jordan’s Principle fiasco  Continue Reading