Thank you for the question.
I think it's really important that midwives are regulated health professionals, that we are able to provide the safety that comes with being part of a regulated college. It speaks to the registration requirements, those education requirements. It speaks to the quality assurance programs that we put in place, and in particular the ability to respond to any complaints and address any conduct or competence issues that might exist. That has definitely impacted the professionalism of midwifery.
However, a lot of the issues that the other witnesses have spoken to remain. There are areas that still block midwives and there are lots of turf wars between different providers and such. Definitely in terms of where we've gone in professionalizing this and through regulation, I think we've gone a long way. Wherever midwifery can be recognized as a primary care service benefits midwives across the country.