Thanks, Mr. Chair. Just to go back in time, there was never any money budgeted for midwifery services. Yellowknife Health and Social Services chose to re-profile some of their internal funding and they created a Midwifery Program that was only funded for one position. I don’t believe one position makes a midwifery program. In fact, I would suggest it would be dangerous for the incumbent to have a one-incumbent-based midwifery program because they would get burnt out.

In the proposed design in the midwifery report it suggests that for a territorial program based out of Yellowknife there would probably have to be about eight midwives to ensure that Yellowknife has adequate coverage and that those midwives can also support community health nurses and other individuals in an education role and a support role as the community health nurses are dealing with pre- and postnatal support. It’s about working together, but it would have to be more than one, obviously, and the program in Yellowknife would be focused on providing a program and have the midwives work together to ensure that the women in Yellowknife who wish to use midwifery services are getting the support they need. It would have to be balanced with ensuring that we’re also providing that education and expertise through our midwives to other practitioners throughout.

We need to do some design and, absolutely, we will be discussing it with the individuals who have an interest here in Yellowknife, and there is a real strong advocacy group here in Yellowknife with a real passion for midwifery services. I’ve met with them. I feel the same way. We want to get this right.

This money that is for the budget now includes money for five positions in the Beaufort-Delta, and we’re looking at putting one position in the Beaufort-Delta and then using these dollars to help do the design and whatnot and getting ready to, hopefully, if we get that far, begin some staffing this

year, but the program is going to have to be more than those positions.