The Body Shop partnered with The Caring Society in the 2021 Holiday season to shine a light on the people that support their communities through their work and action.
The Caring Society respectfully engages caring young people and adults to promote the rights, wellbeing and cultures of First Nations children and their communities. And through their work, they share traditional knowledge and community-based solutions based on First Nations principles and practices.
I immediately said yes to take the ‘Portraits of Care’ of Cindy Blackstock, @the_landk & @gabriellevfayant because of how deeply I admire all their incredible commitment to lives of Indigenous peoples. It was an honour to connect, hear stories and learn more about them. When Cindy brought out Jordan’s blanket- I cried.
Jordan River Anderson (October 22, 1999 – February 2, 2005) was a First Nations child from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba. He was born with complex medical needs and because the province of Manitoba and the federal government could not agree on who would pay for his at-home care, he had to stay longer in the hospital unnecessarily. Jordan passed at the age of 5, never having had the chance to return to his family home, his First Nation, and his loved ones.
“Jordan’s death ignited a movement to uphold human rights for all First Nations children through the creation of the child first principle called ‘Jordan’s Principle.’”
It took more than ten years to ensure that First Nations children do not face barriers to getting the services they need. Other groups joined in and together took Canada to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (Tribunal). In 2016, the Tribunal ordered Canada to fully implement Jordan’s Principle, resulting in a federal government announcement that it would comply with the Tribunal ruling so that First Nations children receive necessary care first and then the various levels of government or departments involved will figure out who pays for it.
