Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a cornerstone of our healthcare system is how we look after pregnancy and childbirth. The government's program Right from the Start focuses on measures that support a healthy start to life and positive outcomes for mothers and babies. One of the main action areas of that program is the expansion of midwifery services. However, action on this matter has seemingly slowed down significantly. Women whose prenatal care is led by a midwife tend to have few complications in pregnancy and childbirth and almost equally important, they are able to stay closer to home during this significant time.

According to the 2011 census, there were 690 births in the Northwest Territories that year. Over half these births were to families outside the capital, but the majority of these mothers had to travel, at significant cost to government, to larger centres to give birth, leaving fathers, siblings, grandparents and other critical community supports. The social and medical benefits of midwifery are well established, but what is perhaps less well known is the fact that, where midwifery services are established, the cost to the health system actually goes down. Recent studies done in Alberta identify that a course of care led by a midwife can cost up to $1,200 less than the same care provided by a doctor. Reducing the cost of the quality of health care is surely an idea that the government should get behind.

At this time, I would also like to recognize the considerable efforts of the NWT Citizens for Midwifery. They are an advocacy group consisting of women and men who are mobilizing support for a territorial midwifery program that includes the capital city. I want to thank them for continuing to show their support for the expansion of midwifery in the North. It was great to see many folks had taken part in the march from the post office to the Ledge over the lunch hour today in support of midwifery. At the appropriate time, I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services in this regard. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.