•The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) has been working toward developing a foundation for preventing maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality in Canada  

•The mission is to increase awareness of the issues surrounding pregnancy-related deaths and to promote change among individuals, healthcare systems, and communities in order to reduce the number of deaths

•The goal is to prevent every future preventable death

•Understanding health, practice, system and societal factors that contribute to maternal deaths is critical to identifying strategies for prevention

•Substance use and suicide are emerging as major contributors to maternal mortality in other countries