Sinclair Harris from Quebec Writes: The Canadian Association of Midwives (CAM) was born in 2000, and joined ICM in 2002.

• Tenlastelegging: Canada

Sinclair Harris from Quebec Writes: The Canadian Association of Midwives (CAM) was born in 2000, and joined ICM in 2002. As we all know, the practice of midwifery is as old as time, but in the context of the Canadian Health Care system, midwives are new members of the team. Formal recognition of midwifery first took place in Ontario in 1994 with the establishment of a regulating body and a university education program. Since then the Provincial governments of British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec have also recognised midwifery as a profession, and with the exception of Alberta, have allocated funds for midwifery services. There are now five universities offering education programs and graduating a total of around 60 midwives per year.

Canadian midwives are autonomous professionals offering a 'continuity of care' model. A full-time midwife is responsible for 40 episodes of care per year, with the births taking place either at home or in hospital. In Quebec, births currently occur at a Community Birthing Centre, unconnected with any hospital. In 2001 there were 400,000 babies born in Canada, but fewer than 10,000 of these births were attended by one of the approximately 450 licensed midwives. Many women therefore do not have access to midwifery care. Indeed, most midwifery, care is concentrated in the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec, where midwifery practices have long waiting lists.

Canada is a vast country, with a scattered population: many communities are far from urban centres and hospitals. In many aboriginal communities, women have to leave their families at 36 weeks gestation to travel to the nearest hospital, and this has a significant impact on both families and communities. There are a number of initiatives to support aboriginal midwives providing traditional services, and there are now graduate midwives working in small communities in Quebec, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Yukon. In northern Quebec two Inuit midwives have recently graduated from an apprenticeship training.

... et Lise Gagnon ecrit:

Au debut du nouveau millenaire, signe des temps, la profession sage-femme s'est actualisee au Canada par la fondation de <> et est devenue membre de ICM (Conference Internationale des Sages-femmes) en janvier 2002. Comme nous le savons toutes, la profession de sage-femme est tres ancienne, mais dans le <> la sage-femme est la toute derniere professionnelle a se joindre a l'equipe. La premiere...