Aboriginal children with special needs in Manitoba won't be caught in government disputes over who should pay for their care anymore.
The province has reached an agreement with Ottawa that says native kids with disabilities will receive the help they need without delays or disruptions.
The agreement is called Jordan's Principle after Jordan River Anderson from the Norway House Cree Nation.
Jordan spent the first part of his life hooked up to machines in a Winnipeg hospital.
When he was two years old, doctors were ready to send him to a medical foster home, but for two years provincial and federal government officials argued over who should pay for it.
They couldn't even decide who would cover the cost of a special showerhead he needed.
Jordan never left the hospital and eventually died in February, 2005. He was five-years-old.
Later that year, Members of Parliament in Ottawa vowed never to let that happen again. They unanimously voted in favour of a private members motion also called Jordan's Principle; children should come first when it comes to funding disputes.
But when CTV News traveled to Norway in February 2008, they found a similar funding dispute threatening to end health care services for over 30 special needs children in the community.
After the issue was publicized, Federal Health Minister Tony Clement promised his department would pay the medical costs for their special needs children; while the provincial and federal governments work out the details.
The provincial government has now adopted Jordan's Principle as well.
Manitoba Health Minister Theresa Oswald says most funding disputes will still be resolved on a case-by-case basis, but no services will be withdrawn or withheld in the meantime.
With files from the Canadian Press
