President’s Message
For midwives in Canada and globally it was a year of gains and losses, all in the context of climate change and an ongoing pandemic. Globally, we face a shortage of almost 1 million midwives by 2030, and a shortfall of 9000 here in Canada. While female-identified people make up most of the healthcare workforce, we are all too aware that we are grossly underrepresented in senior leadership roles. We have seen midwifery in the Yukon and Newfoundland regulated and then paused.
These painful expansions and retractions are necessary resets on a long and arduous journey to bring CAM’s intended impact of equitable access to excellent sexual, reproductive, and newborn midwifery services for all, into reality. In the face of losses have been simultaneous wins, including scope optimization to allow midwives to provide medical abortion in Quebec, the upholding of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario decision in favour of AOM, and the re-launch of the Manitoba midwifery program. These struggles and triumphs have informed our focus on Professional Association Strengthening.
