Thank you very much, Mr. Chairperson.
First of all, to Madam Doré Lefebvre, thank you so much for appearing today. It's just a delight to have you here with this very important bill. I think we all know that you've done a lot of work on this bill and you've had tremendous support across the country. It's truly wonderful that it was adopted unanimously at second reading in the House of Commons, and here we are today at committee. Thank you for being here to speak to your bill.
To both of our witnesses, thank you also for being here. I feel very happy that we can give some support and visibility to this issue. You do incredible work, yet Canadians know very little about what you do and who you are. I think just your testimony today, and the stories you've told us, and the prayer you've repeated for us, give us an understanding of how important the work is that you do and the difference it makes in individual lives and the life of a whole community.
I don't want to use the word “shocking”, but it's really quite incredible that there are only 1,300 of you across the country. You're actually a very small group of women who are doing incredible work. I wish we could say that it would triple and quadruple. I think the goal, the philosophy, of closer to home, to being in-home, is so important. It's something that changes a woman's experience in her life about childbirth. Thank you for what you do.
Of course the bill is very important because it does give recognition to May 5. It's already an international day, but it's important that we give recognition to this day in Canada.
I don't really want to ask you about what you do so much, as time is limited. I want to focus more, I think, on the obstacles and what challenges you have. In particular, it's very disappointing to know that there aren't federal dollars for midwives on reserve and in aboriginal communities, excepting, I think you said, through other transfers with B.C. I do remember, from former discussions we've had with you, that there is an issue involving something to do with the classifications at the Treasury Board. I would love it if you could remind us of what this issue is. I figure at least there is something that we might be able to follow up on. I hope the bill will go through and it will go back to the House, but maybe there's another matter that this health committee could follow up on. It is clearly within federal jurisdiction.
I wonder if both of you could remind us about this issue that you've been battling away on at the Treasury Board for so long, and maybe we can assist in some way.