Thank you, Mr. Chair. If we were to have a dedicated midwifery service in Yellowknife focused just on Yellowknife, it would not reduce the number of physicians that we are required to have here in the Northwest Territories, in particular in Yellowknife. It certainly wouldn't reduce any medical travel costs. It would be an additional cost in our system to cover all the O and M costs and the costs of the midwives that are providing the service. So it would not be a cost saving as far as the birthing is concerned, but that's not the point, Mr. Chair. Midwifery services provided a holistic approach to birthing including significant benefits, long-term to families in early childhood development through pre and post-natal care that the midwives are able to provide. I'm not sure that we're ever going to win an economic analysis, but what we will win and what we need to focus on is the high quality care and the benefits to pre and post-natal and early childhood development that midwifery services can bring. There's no question of the values that midwifery service can provide to mothers and families and children as we move forward.
We still have to build a case for it and we still have to be able to demonstrate the benefits, and we need to develop a Territorial model that'll allow us to have a Territorial model with those services provided here in Yellowknife, but also the services available to the communities that Mr. Thompson has raised his communities where we want to be able to support that important pre and post-natal work as well as birthing if possible. Fort Simpson, Norman Wells. We want to be able to do these things. We do have to build a case. As far as cost saving in every case, it doesn't exist. But there are definite long-term advantages to moving forward with the midwifery program. Thank you, Mr. Chair.