I call the meeting to order.
Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), we are doing a study on maternal and child health. On April 12, 2010, the Standing Committee on the Status of Women unanimously adopted the following motion to study maternal and child health:
That the committee study maternal and child health following the government's announcement to make maternal and child health a priority at the G-8 in June that Canada will be hosting, as long as this is done before the end of May.
That is why the study is being done now: so that we can complete it before the end of May and have our report ready before the end of May.
We are holding four meetings on this question. The first two meetings will bring together non-governmental organizations and coalitions specializing in developmental issues as well as in maternal and child health.
Today we have three sets of witnesses. We have Dr. Dorothy Shaw, the Canadian spokesperson for Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health; Janet Hatcher Roberts, executive director of the Canadian Society for International Health; and Jill Wilkinson Sheffield, president of Women Deliver.
I want to welcome you and thank you for taking your time to come and present to this committee and answer some of the questions that everyone is obviously going to be asking you.
Each one of your groups has ten minutes to present. I will give you a two-minute warning so that you will know when you have two minutes left. Then we will have question-and-answer rounds. I think we may be able to do two rounds in this one, but we'll see.
Presentations will be in the same order as you are listed on the agenda. We will begin with Dr. Dorothy Shaw from the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.