Beyond borders: Ellen Gabriel’s activism from Kanehsatà:ke to Gaza
Release Date: 07/17/2025
Ivan Zinger: Why Canada’s prison watchdog is leaving early
APTN News InFocus
On this edition of APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens speaks with Canada’s outgoing Correctional Investigator, Ivan Zinger, about why he’s leaving the job early after eight years. In his final annual report, he called for an overhaul of mental health services in federal corrections, arguing that they’re ill-equipped to provide long-term care. The minister of Public Safety and the commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada did not make themselves available for an interview. • • • APTN National News, our stories told our way. Visit our website for more: Hear...
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The Cowichan win and what it really means for Richmond, B.C. residents
APTN News InFocus
On this episode of APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens takes a closer look at the B.C. court decision that recognized Aboriginal title rights for Cowichan Tribes and the misinformation that followed. Some residents of Richmond, B.C., now fear they’ll lose their homes, despite clear public statements from Cowichan leadership that private landowners are not being targeted. Vancouver-based lawyer Kate Gunn from First Peoples Law joins the show to walk us through the legal context of the ruling and what it could mean for future title cases. • • • APTN National News, our stories told our...
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Budget 2025: How it affects Indigenous Peoples
APTN News InFocus
On this edition of APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens breaks down what Budget 2025 means for First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Prime Minister Mark Carney has called it a “generational budget” – a bold, nearly $90-billion in new spending plan he says charts a new path forward for Canada. But what makes this budget bold? And who does it leave behind? Joining the show is Nation to Nation host and APTN’s online correspondent in Ottawa Karyn Pugliese with analysis of the 493-page document and what it signals for Indigenous communities. Also on the show, Lisa Gue from the David...
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Bail reform and what it means for Indigenous Peoples
APTN News InFocus
On this edition of APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens explores how Canada’s proposed bail reform bill is stirring debate. Justice Minister Sean Fraser says the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act is meant to restore public confidence in a system he admits is no longer working for many Canadians. But critics warn the bill could do more harm than good. Among them is Sen. Kim Pate, who has spent over four decades advocating for people criminalized by the system. She shares her concerns about what she calls a “politicized” approach to reform and what real change would look like. Also on the...
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Trump’s move to scrub Indigenous Peoples from U.S. history
APTN News InFocus
On this edition of APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens examines why the Trump administration is attempting to erase Indigenous Peoples from U.S. history. On Oct. 9, former president Donald Trump signed a proclamation restoring Columbus Day, calling the explorer “a true American hero” and suggesting that “every citizen is eternally indebted to his relentless determination”. To dig into the implications, Cierra talks with Brett Chapman, a Ponca and Pawnee lawyer based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His ancestor, Chief Standing Bear, was a civil rights activist. Today, Chapman continues that...
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Why Nunavut is in a food crisis
APTN News InFocus
On this edition of APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens explores why food insecurity in Nunavut has hit a breaking point. In a territory where climate change and inflation are making food more expensive and harder to access, many families struggle to put healthy meals on the table. For some, even country foods like seal and caribou are out of reach. A pediatrician working in the community says Nunavut’s crisis is the worst she’s seen. In 2022, Statistics Canada reported that 79 per cent of children under 14 in the territory lived in food-insecure households. APTN News correspondent Jesse...
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On the ground in Unama'ki: Land protectors sound alarm over Indigenous rights in Canada
APTN News InFocus
On this edition of APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens looks at a new law in Nova Scotia that could threaten Mi’kmaq treaty rights. Land protectors at Hunters Mountain in Unama’ki have prevented logging and construction for more than a month. But the Protecting Nova Scotians Act could give the province power to remove their checkpoint and jail those who refuse to leave. APTN video journalist Angel Moore shares what she’s seen on the ground and Veldon Coburn joins to explore how laws like this, along with Bill C-5 and Ontario’s Bill 5, are raising concerns about the future of...
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Confronting residential school denialism: How a new generation is pushing back against a growing threat
APTN News InFocus
This week on APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens examines the growing threat of residential school denialism in Canada. Once confined to the internet’s fringes, denialism has entered the mainstream with public speeches, book deals and online followings that continue to grow. Some deny the racist and genocidal legacy of residential schools, others call unmarked grave findings a hoax. Survivors like Jennifer Wood say denialism is nothing new, it’s something they’ve lived with for decades. But a new generation is pushing back. Benjamin Kucher, a Métis archaeology graduate student at the...
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Insiders, investigators and inspirational figures: A look at the season ahead at APTN News
APTN News InFocus
As summer winds down - hosts, producers and reporters at APTN News are ramping up. On this edition of APTN News InFocus, we get a first look at what’s coming up this season from three of our award-winning shows: Face to Face, Investigates and Nation to Nation. Face to Face Host Dennis Ward joins us to talk about the upcoming 300-episode milestone and what he’s got planned for the season opener on Sept. 30. Then, APTN Investigates producer Cullen Crozier gives us a preview of the show’s 17th season. The team is back with hard-hitting stories across the country. And in Ottawa, long time...
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Saving Michif: How one family is helping keep their ancestral language alive
APTN News InFocus
On this edition of APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens explores one Red River Métis family’s mission to help save the Michif language. Grant, Ben and Aynsley Anderson are the creators of Save Michif, a project developed through funding from Heritage Canada and the Manitoba Métis Federation. The father, son and daughter trio from Manitoba are using digital tools and Elder-led recordings to help revitalize their ancestral tongue. Michif, which blends French nouns with Cree verbs and structure, has just a handful of fluent speakers left. Among them is Elder Norman Fleury, who lends his...
info_outlineThis week on APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens is joined by Mohawk activist, artist and filmmaker Ellen Gabriel.
During the 1990 siege at Kanehsatà:ke, Gabriel was chosen by the People of the Longhouse to speak for the community during a 78-day standoff with the Canadian military. Thirty-five years later she continues to speak out, not only for her own people, but for others facing colonization and occupation.
She now focuses part of her advocacy on Gaza, where she sees parallels in the violence, displacement and media narratives.
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