News > Midwives want BC NDP platform to address midwifery crisis
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The Midwives Association of B.C. has asked the province’s political parties to make a commitment to fixing the midwifery crisis. Successive government failures have B.C.’s registered midwives overworked, underpaid and on the brink of burnout. This means midwives are at risk of not being able to serve B.C. families seeking our care. We need help now to ensure midwives can continue to deliver quality primary maternity care to British Columbians.
The BC NDP announced their election platform on October 6, 2020 with no proposed action to directly address the midwifery crisis in B.C. or to support midwives.
Midwives Association of B.C. Asks |
NDP Platform Commitment |
Ask #1 Ensure B.C. families continue to receive high-quality primary maternity care by investing in benefits and business supports for midwives. |
None |
Ask #2 Make certain that Indigenous families have access to maternity care in their own communities by removing barriers to entry for aspiring Indigenous midwives. |
None |
Ask #3 Ensure the interests of all British Columbians are represented in provincial initiatives to transform our primary healthcare system by providing equitable funding and support that enables all primary care providers to contribute to the changes. |
None |
“We are disappointed that the BC NDP continues to ignore midwifery. More and more B.C. families depend on the care of midwives, but government support has been so deficient that one third of our midwives say they will be forced to change careers because they can’t afford to continue in the profession. This is a problem. We are calling on government to make midwifery a priority and ensure that this quality care remains available for all British Columbians.” - Alisa Harrison, CEO, Midwives Association of BC.
We will provide comment on other parties’ platforms as they become available.
Learn more about where we stand heading into this election here.