Circumcision in Canada followed the pattern of other English speaking countries, with the practice being adopted during the 1900s, to prevent masturbation and other perceived issues of the time, but with the rate of circumcision declining in the latter part of the 20th century, particularly after a new policy position was released in 1975. The Canadian Paediatric Society estimated that, in 1970, 48 percent of males were circumcised. However, studies conducted in 1977-1978 revealed a wide variation in the incidence of circumcision between different provinces and territories. For example, Yukon reported a rate of 74.8 percent, while Newfoundland reported an incidence of 1.9 to 2.4 percent. The rate continued to drop, with the newborn circumcision rate in Ontario in 1994-95 dropping to 29.9%.