Midwifery in NB

Although midwifery is a core aspect of primary care in many Canadian contexts, New Brunswick is one of the last provinces/territories to legalize and implement midwifery services. Established as a demonstration site in the capital city of the province in 2017, the Fredericton Midwifery Centre is the only site offering midwifery care in New Brunswick.

The Fredericton Midwifery Centre falls under the jurisdiction of Horizon Health, the provincial anglophone health authority. Initially, the centre was staffed with four full-time midwives, an office administrator, and one shared manager. From 2018 until late 2020, staffing at the centre was reduced to 1.5 FTE midwives as a result of pregnancies and leaves. Since its inception, the practice has served more than 100 clients and maintains an equally long, and steadily growing, waitlist (Smith, 2019). Despite strong and steady demand for increased access to midwifery services, the current government has repeatedly stated that the program will not be expanded and maintains that pregnant people in New Brunswick are well served by the services offered by obstetricians and general practitioners (Yamoah, 2019).

Timeline of Midwifery Regulation in New Brunswick

1992: NB legislature passes a motion for the province to ‘seriously consider’ midwifery care in New Brunswick – Motion 94 

2001: Little progress has been made in developing a midwifery care centre in New Brunswick, politicians ask about updates but there is little information to share.  

2007: The New Brunswick government makes steps towards implementing midwifery in the province. 

2008: Bill 75, the Midwifery Act Bill passes 

2010: The Midwifery Act came into effect on August 12 of 2010 

2010: Midwifery Council of New Brunswick created 

2012: An Act Respecting Midwives passes. 

2015: Constitution and bylaws for midwifery in NB are created, but people continue to question when this service will be made publicly available. 

2016: Announcement of publicly funded midwifery in New Brunswick. 

2017: The first registered midwife in New Brunswick hired. 

2017: The Fredericton clinic begins taking clients.  

2017: The first baby born in NB with a registered midwife.  

2019: An amendment is made to the Midwifery Act which aligns midwifery more with other self-regulated healthcare professionals in New Brunswick. This grants the Midwifery Council of New Brunswick more authority over their work. 

2021: Demands for expanded access to Midwifery Care in New Brunswick continue  

& from Hansard debates