On this episode of Face to Face: Sherry McKay

Sherry McKay calls herself a "baby comedian." That's because she's only taken up space in the standup comedy industry for the past three years, although she's been telling jokes much of her own life.

She shares her comedy journey on this episode of Face to Face.

• • •

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/

On this episode of Face to Face: Cody Groat

As a professor in history and Indigenous studies, Cody Groat always has his eyes on political affairs, and at the moment, there is no shortage of consequential issues affecting Indigenous Peoples.

The 10th anniversary of the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's final report is one of those top of mind issues for Groat, who is Mohawk and a member of Six Nations of the Grand River.

• • •

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/

On this episode of Face to Face: Joel Pedersen

Our guest this week is Chief Warrant Officer Joel Pedersen of 38 Canadian Brigade Group in the Canadian Army's Third Division.

In October 2024, he became the first First Nations person to serve as brigade sergeant major.

The Fond du Lac band member joined the Canadian Army Reserve at 17 and later mentored Indigenous youth through the Bold Eagle program.

He also spent time as a police officer with the Saskatoon Police Service during a period of high racial tension, joining not long after the starlight tours stories came to light.

• • •

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/

On this episode of Face to Face: Aysanabee

Oji-Cree multi-instrumentalist, Aysanabee has been on a run like very few others in the Canadian music industry.

He burst onto the scene in 2022 with his debut album Watin, named after his grandfather, a residential school survivor.

The album, based in part on conversations between the two during the pandemic, was shortlisted for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize in 2023.

• • •

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/

On this episode of Face to Face: Niigaan Sinclair

Educator, author and columnist Niigaan Sinclair brings sharp insight and clear perspective to every conversation – whether it's in the classroom or on the page.

A professor in the department of Indigenous studies at the University of Manitoba, Niigaan was named columnist of the year at the 2018 National Newspaper Awards for his work with the Winnipeg Free Press. His national bestseller Winipek: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre won the 2024 Governor General's Award for non-fiction.

• • •

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/

On this episode of Face to Face: Santee Smith

Kaha:Wi Dance Theatre, launched in 2005, now has more than a dozen productions and numerous short works attached to its name that have toured worldwide.

Smith has also become an internationally recognized leader in the performing arts, the 19th Chancellor of McMaster University and a member of the Order of Canada.

• • •

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/

On this episode of Face to Face: Shane Belcourt

Filmmaker Shane Belcourt's most recent documentary is Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising, a documentary about an Indigenous-led occupation in Anicinabe Park over nearly 40 days in 1974.

He tells Face to Face it was an electric time in history.

• • •

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/

On this episode of Face to Face: Francis Baptiste

If you visit Francis Baptiste's website, the first thing you'll notice is the harsh way he describes himself as "a washed-up, divorced, recovering alcoholic and drug addict" who "tries to balance being a single father and a middle-aged musician, living under the poverty line in East Vancouver."

Baptiste says the description is a little "tongue-in-cheek" but also the reality of the life he has lived for the last decade.

Baptiste's latest album, Lived Experience in East Vancouver, was released on Oct. 24. It's his third full length and one he is particularly proud of.

One of his goals with the new music is to break down the stigma around addiction.

• • •

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/

On this episode of Face to Face: Julian Brave Noisecat

Months after receiving an Oscar nomination for his first feature film, Sugarcane, Julian Brave NoiseCat says the whole experience is still surreal.

On this episode of Face to Face, NoiseCat discusses the film and his debut book, We Survived the Night.

• • •

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/

On this episode of Face to Face: Leena Minifie

Gitxaala producer and filmmaker Leena Minifie has heard many horror stories of the discrimination Indigenous Peoples face during her more than 20 years as a journalist, film and television producer.

However, even she was taken aback by some of the things she heard while working on The Good Canadian.

Minifie co-directed the feature length documentary with Academy Award nominated director David Paperny.

The film is described in the APTN press release as "part investigation, part real-life horror story, part national reckoning."

• • •

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/