Citing the need to give women more birthing choices, both Manitoba and Saskatchewan have taken steps to make midwifery legal.
Manitoba health minister Darren Praznik has introduced legislation that would establish midwives as “a primary health-care provider with a specified area and scope of practice.”
The legislation establishes a college of midwives in Manitoba to govern the profession’s training, standards and keep a registry of qualified midwives.
Saskatchewan will be setting up a committee to develop plans to introduce midwifery covering such issues as training, standard setting and required legal changes. The decision is in response to a May 1996 report that said there is a desire for midwifery service in the province.
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Saskatchewan health minister Eric Cline said the intent is to have midwives either practise independently or as staff of a health district. The province has said it could fund midwifery positions if a health district determines a need for them.
Midwives have been legal in Ontario for a year while Alberta and British Columbia are in the process of legalizing them. Alberta should have at least 28 midwives registered to work in the province by this fall, said a spokesperson for the labor department. In B.C. the health department is drawing up the legal framework for their work.
