OTTAWA-According to the parliamentary budget office (PBO), the federal government may need to pay up to $15 billion to compensate First Nations families and children impacted by the child welfare system, under the Jordan's Principle ruling.

Jordan's Principle requires governments to cover the cost of services for First Nations children and work out any disputes over jurisdiction afterwards. Jordan's Principle, was named for Jordan River Anderson, a boy from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba who spent five years in the hospital while the Manitoba and federal governments argued over which...