Glen Abernethy

I’ll bring the committee back to order. I’ll go to Minister Lafferty for his opening comments.

Sergeant-at-Arms, can I please get you to escort the witnesses into the Chamber.

Thank you, Minister Lee. Can I please get you to introduce your witnesses for the record.

Thank you, Minister Lee. Next on my list is Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Ms. Lee, he’s asking for a financial breakdown for that bullet, I believe.

Thank you, Ms. Meade. Mr. Beaulieu.

Mr. Speaker, that information is incredibly important in building a business case. I look forward to seeing the information.

I am curious if the Minister can confirm for us whether or not that data is being utilized to help determine what is a reasonable number of births to justify a midwifery service in a community. If she does, can she tell me how many pregnancies in a community justify the business case scenario for midwives in a community? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On October 24, 2008, I made a statement and asked some questions in this House on the value and importance of midwifery services in the Northwest Territories. Since then, no additional support has been made available to these services in the Northwest Territories.

In 2008 there were three midwives practicing in the Northwest Territories: two in Fort Smith and one in Yellowknife, Ndilo and Dettah. Unfortunately, as predicted back in 2008, the workload for a sole midwife in Yellowknife was very exhausting. This has resulted in the incumbent having to go on an extended...

Thank you, committee. I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. In front of us today are tabled documents 4, 30, 38, 62, 75, 103, 133, 135; Bills 4, 14, 17, 20; and Ministers’ statements 65 and 88. What is the wish of committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services.

Please provide the statistics outlining the number of births in the NWT over the last four fiscal years; i.e., 2010-11 to date, 2009-10, 2008-09, 2007-08.

Please provide a breakdown of the number of births, identifying the home communities of the mothers.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, in 2005-06, when I sat on the Midwifery Implementation Committee for the Northwest Territories, they were talking about Fort Smith. What they determined -- and I would like the Minister to confirm these numbers for me -- but what I think they determined in order to justify a midwife in a community, they needed to have a community that had X number of pregnancies per year. I believe that number was about 45 or 50 pregnancies a year to justify midwifery services in a community. Can the Minister confirm that number for me and let me know whether that is the type of number that we are...