Midwifery was always practiced in Canada but in the 1990's many provinces developed midwifery programs and began to regulate midwives and their practices. While it was considered "illegal" long before then once it became regulated there was a process and guidelines for women who had been practicing to become licensed in most provinces. Those who chose not to become licensed could be charged if they continued to practice as a "midwife". Hope that kind of makes sense.

Before the "legalization," there were times when a midwife was charged with "practicing medicine without a license" usually when a high profile case of the death of a baby during home birth brought things to the attention of the public and the criminal justice system. This still happens occasionally even though there is much more widespread availability of trained midwives.