November 12, 2026 CALGARY, AB: A new report by SecondStreet.org finds Canada has just 0.13 obstetrician-gynaecologists (OB-GYNs) and midwives per 1,000 people, the lowest of 11 comparable high-income countries and more than 11 times fewer than Sweden (1.5). The report also found that Canada’s maternal mortality rate has worsened over the past two decades while the OECD average has improved. Meanwhile, according to data from the Fraser Institute also highlighted in the report, the median wait for gynaecological care, from family doctor referral to treatment, reached 40.6 weeks in 2025, up 174 per cent from 14.8 weeks in 2005. “Stories of closed maternity units and diverted patients aren’t isolated incidents. The data show a system short of the very professionals that mothers and newborns rely on,” said report author Bacchus Barua. “Canada and the United States are also the only two countries in this group that rely primarily on an OB-GYN-led model of care. Every other country uses significantly more midwives. Though the factors driving our poor outcomes are undoubtedly complex, spending more money is not the answer. Instead, policymakers should look closely at how maternity care is currently organized and funded.” Key findings from the report include: In 2024, Canada ranked 11th of 11 peer countries for maternal care workforce, with 0.08 OB-GYNs and 0.05 midwives per 1,000 inhabitants (peer average: 0.70 combined). Among OECD countries, Canada ranked 34th of 36 for OB-GYNs and tied for last of 24 for licensed midwives. Canada’s maternal mortality rate rose from 8.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2005 to 12.6 in 2024, while the OECD average fell from 11.5 to 8.7. Canada’s 2024 rate is roughly seven times Norway’s (1.8). Canada’s rate of obstetric trauma from instrument-assisted vaginal deliveries was 16.1 per 100 deliveries, more than four times the Netherlands’ rate (3.8). Canada’s infant mortality rate was 4.5 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2024, more than double Sweden’s (2.0), and 7.2 per cent of Canadian babies were born with a low birth weight, compared with 4.1 per cent in Sweden. To view the full report, Women and Children Last: An…​Read More