BILL NO. 495
(as introduced)
1st Session, 64th General Assembly
Nova Scotia
3 Charles III, 2024
Private Member's Bill
Midwifery Act
(amended)
Susan Leblanc
Dartmouth North
First Reading: September 19, 2024
Second Reading:
Third Reading:
Explanatory Notes
Clause 1 establishes as objectives of the Government of Nova Scotia to
(a) make available the services of an adequate number of trained and regulated midwives for all people who request them;
(b) have one midwife available for every 14,000 persons resident in each health management zone; and
(c) increase the number of midwife-led births in the Province to 10 per cent or more by 2025 and 30 per cent or more by 2027.
Clause 2 requires the Midwifery Regulatory Council of Nova Scotia to publicly report certain information at least once per year.
Clause 3 allows for the Minister of Health and Wellness to establish a timeline for the achievement of the objectives stated in Clause 1.
An Act to Amend Chapter 18
of the Acts of 2006,
the Midwifery Act
Be it enacted by the Governor and Assembly as follows:
1 Chapter 18 of the Acts 2006, the Midwifery Act, is amended by adding immediately after Section 1 the following Section:
- 1A It is the objective of the Government, through the Nova Scotia Health Authority, to
(a) make available the services of an adequate number of trained and regulated midwives for all people who request them;
(b) have one midwife available for every fourteen thousand persons resident in each of the management zones established under the regulations made under the Health Authorities Act; and
(c) increase the number of midwife-led births in the Province to ten per cent or more of total births by 2025 and thirty per cent or more by 2027.
2 Section 7 of Chapter 18 is amended by adding immediately after subsection (1) the following subsections:
- (1A) The Council shall, at least once per year, report publicly on
(a) the number of midwives in the Province, including those registered but non-practising; and
(b) the number of clients of midwives who gave birth during the preceding year.
(1B) A report made under subsection (1A) must include province-by-province comparison data and comparison data with countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
3 (1) Section 9 of Chapter 18 is amended by adding immediately after subsection (1) the following subsection:
- (1A) The Minister of Health and Wellness may make regulations establishing a timeline for the Nova Scotia Health Authority to achieve the objectives described in Section 1A.
(2) Subsection 9(2) of Chapter 18 is amended by
(a) adding "or Minister of Health and Wellness" immediately after "Council" in the first line; and
(b) adding "or (1A)" immediately after "(1)" in the second line.
This page and its contents published by the Office of the Legislative Counsel, Nova Scotia House of Assembly, and © 2024 Crown in right of Nova Scotia. Created September 19, 2024. Send comments to legc.office@novascotia.ca.
