APTN News InFocus

It has been ten years since the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled that Canada discriminated against First Nations children on reserve by underfunding child welfare services.

Yet children and families are still waiting for the system to be fixed.

There are now plans in place to end the discrimination.

On this edition of APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens speaks with Indigenous Services Canada Minister Mandy Gull-Masty and Cindy Blackstock of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society about why the proposed plans to end discrimination in First Nations child welfare has taken so long and what needs to happen next.

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APTN National News, our stories told our way.

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On this edition of APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens honours the life and legacy of Dan David, the father of APTN.

David, a Mohawk journalist, spent 45 years transforming how Indigenous stories are told in Canada and around the world. From reporting for CBC and producing for TVOntario and VISION TV, to rebuilding newsrooms in South Africa, his work set the foundation for Indigenous journalism. In 2000, he co-launched InVision News, now APTN National News.

On January 12, David passed into the spirit world at the age of 73 after living with cancer. To reflect on his life and impact, Cierra is joined by two of his close friends and former colleagues: APTN producer Bruce Spence and Nation-to-Nation host and senior online reporter Karyn Pugliese. Together, they share his vision for Indigenous media and the mark he leaves behind.

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APTN National News, our stories told our way.

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APTN's true crime documentary series Taken is back after a seven-year hiatus.

The series first put a national spotlight on the case of Tanya Nepinak, a 31-year-old mother who went missing in Winnipeg in 2011.

Nearly a decade after Taken aired her story, Manitoba announced plans to search the Brady landfill for her remains, renewing calls for justice from her family.

On this edition of APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens looks at the legacy of Taken and its impact on cases involving Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit people.

She is joined by Dinae Robinson, head of content at Eagle Vision and an executive producer of Taken, for a preview of the newly launched fifth season.

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APTN National News, our stories told our way.

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People in a small community in Nunavik are devastated after another shooting involving police in late December.

But police shootings in the Inuit territory in northern Quebec are nothing new.

Between 2016 and 2018, Nunavik police killed or seriously injured someone at a rate 55 times higher per capita than Montreal police.

Some say part of the problem is that only three of the 155-person force are Inuit.

On this edition of APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens speaks with Tom Fennario, a correspondent with APTN Investigates, about the problems with the Nunavik Police Service.

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APTN National News, our stories told our way.

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On this edition of APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens is joined by Karyn Pugliese, APTN's senior online reporter and host of Nation to Nation, and Dennis Ward, host of APTN National News and Face to Face, for a year in review.

We break down the biggest stories of the year, from Justin Trudeau's resignation and the evolving Liberal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney to the appointment of Canada's first Indigenous minister of Indigenous Services and the debate around Bill S-2.

We also look at Jordan's Principle, tensions within Indigenous organizations and what reporters will be watching closely in the year ahead.

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APTN National News, our stories told our way.

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On this edition of APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens looks at the state of child welfare in Nunavut and why advocates say the territory is falling behind.

Child and youth representative Jane Bates has been raising the alarm for years. In her latest report she says the territory is making little progress in the areas most critical to keeping young people safe. She joins us to talk about what has to change and why she says Nunavut needs action not explanation.

We also hear from the minister of Family Services on how she plans to address the concerns raised by Bates and the auditor general.

Before that, APTN's Justin Hardy checks in from Iqaluit with a look at the new legislature and the work ahead for Premier John Main and his cabinet.

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APTN National News, our stories told our way.

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On this edition of APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens looks at the debate over the second-generation cut-off in the Indian Act.

The Senate's Indigenous Affairs committee is reviewing Bill S-2, proposed legislation from the government that ends some discrimination against women in the Indian Act - but not all.

The committee also wants to add an amendment to end what is called the second-generation cutoff and replace it with a one-parent rule for status entitlement.

Lawyer and professor Pam Palmater joins us to share what's at stake for families like hers and talk about the fact and fiction in the information being shared.

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APTN National News, our stories told our way.

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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.

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APTN National News, our stories told our way.

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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.

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APTN National News, our stories told our way.

Visit our website for more: https://aptnnews.ca

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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 Suzuki Foundation weighs in on the budget's climate commitments and whether they live up to Carney's environmental promises.

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APTN National News, our stories told our way.

Visit our website for more: https://aptnnews.ca

Hear more APTN News podcasts: https://www.aptnnews.ca/podcasts/