Ms. Paulette brought forward the position that the scope of midwifery should be extended to include care for the woman and infant in the postpartum period because, as she and her organization believe, "midwives care for the mother and infant as a unit." This would require an addition to be made to section 2(1)(h).

Committee recognizes, Mr. Speaker, that midwives certainly do have an interest in the wellbeing of the infant after it is born. However, committee appreciates the Minister's concern that extending the legislative scope of midwifery to include what is currently the domain of physicians cannot be done without adequate consultation with the other stakeholders.

The Minister has assured committee that the forthcoming health professions act is the proper legislative tool to give consideration to the overlapping scope of the various health care professions, including midwifery. Committee anticipates the introduction of the health professions act within the next two years, based on information provided by the Minister.