Truth & Politics

On this week's Truth and Politics panel, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew's calls to abolish the Indian Act steal the show at the First Nations-First Ministers meeting and the snap election call by David Eby in British Columbia backfires. Joining host Dennis Ward to discuss are Jennifer Laewetz of Paskwâw Strategies and Niigaan Sinclair with the Winnipeg Free Press. • • • APTN National News, our stories...

It is being hailed as a historic gathering. Next week, First Nations and the prime minister and premiers will sit down together in Ottawa. What should we expect to go down at the meeting? That is one of the topics this week on our Truth & Politics panel. Joining host Dennis Ward to discuss are Jennifer Laewetz of Paskwâw Strategies and Niigaan Sinclair with the Winnipeg Free Press. • • • APTN Nati...

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has raised the ire of First Nations organizations in Manitoba over his stance on the criminalizing of residential school denialism. That's one of the topics on this week's Truth & Politics panel. Also on the panel this week, a look ahead to next week's Alberta referendum and the latest in the ongoing financial dispute between Indigenous Services Canada and the Federation...

Child welfare reform, the proposed Pacific Link pipeline and comments the minister of Indigenous Services made about criminalizing residential school denialism are all on the table for this week's Truth & Politics panel. Joining host Dennis Ward to discuss are Jennifer Laewetz of Paskwâw Strategies and Niigaan Sinclair with the Winnipeg Free Press. • • • APTN National News, our stories told our wa...

September 30 marked the sixth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day. It's a day for remembering the dark legacy of residential schools and honouring the survivors and the children who never made it home. That's the topic on this week's Truth & Politics panel, where we discuss the facts, the feelings and a display of bold-faced residential school denialism...

It's been a wild week with the return of Parliament, an election called in British Columbia and news that Canada has offered First Nations an ownership stake in the Trans Mountain pipeline. Those are the topics for this week's Truth & Politics panel. Joining host Dennis Ward to discuss are Jennifer Laewetz of Paskwâw Strategies and Niigaan Sinclair with the Winnipeg Free Press. • • • APTN National...

Canadian politicians have spent this week pitching plans for major projects to foreign investors at a summit in Toronto. The first-of-its-kind Canada Investment Summit brought together federal and provincial ministers, investors and Canadian CEOs with the plan to unleash nearly $500 billion in new investments in Canada. Those are the topics for this week's Truth & Politics panel. Joining host Denn...

Ottawa has ended the bid of the NunatuKavut Community Council, an organization that claims to represent 6,000 self-identified Inuit living in south and central Labrador. The controversial group, formerly known as the Labrador Métis Nation, has been fighting for years for land, hunting and fishing rights. Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national voice of 70,000 Inuit in Canada, has called the NCC frau...

As the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation approaches, Rebel News has a new series of T-shirts questioning the existence the suspected unmarked graves at former residential schools. Some of the orange shirts, also being sold in children's sizes, say 'dig deeper' and have an image of a shovel. Also on the panel this week, the ongoing implosion of the British Columbia Conservative Party. Those...

On this week's Truth & Politics, we're talking tariffs, climate emergencies, treaty anniversaries and the NFL debut of the first Navajo player. Joining host Dennis Ward to discuss are Jennifer Laewetz of Paskwâw Strategies and Niigaan Sinclair with the Winnipeg Free Press. • • • APTN National News, our stories told our way. Visit our website for more: https://aptnnews.ca Hear more APTN News podcas...

The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to Brayden Bushby, the man convicted of fatally injuring Barbara Kentner back in 2017 and the leadership of Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation are outraged and in disbelief over the situation. Also on this week's Truth & Politics panel is the possible resurrection of the Keystone XL pipeline, also known as the zombie pipeline, as United States President...

The Liberal government recently approved two major projects in northern Ontario, even though federal impact assessment for both say there will be significant damage to the environment and Indigenous rights. The Crawford Nickel Project, just north of Timmins, is an estimated $5-billion project that is also expected to result in irreversible effects on the water, land, air and First Nations in the a...

This Sunday marks the grim 10th anniversary of the fatal shooting of Colten Boushie by Gerald Stanley, who was later acquitted. It's an emotional time for many, with an event planned to mark the occasion. We discuss whether race relations have improved in the decade since. Also on the panel, a banner hung from a fence near Edmonton over the long weekend containing derogatory remarks about First Na...

A British Columbia reporter apparently got his hands on a leaked communication where the provincial Conservative leader is encouraging the word 'Indian' to be used to describe First Nations people. And an incident where RCMP officers tasered and punched a First Nations woman in Saskatchewan has gone viral with many questioning the use of force. Those are our topics for this week's Truth & Politics...

As of July 22, the federal government says more than 3,400 people are evacuated from 16 First Nations across Canada. Ten of those First Nations are in Ontario, where are least two communities have seen widespread damage. Leadership there have been critical of the provincial response and have called for a public inquiry and the resignation of the minister of Indigenous Services. Joining host Dennis...

The Assembly of First Nations annual general assembly has now come to an end after a busy couple of days. As we've been reporting, major projects, residential school denialism and the wildfire situation were among the big topics. Joining host Dennis Ward to discuss are Niigaan Sinclair with the Winnipeg Free Press and Alessia Passafiume, an Anishinaabe Parliament Hill reporter with the Canadian Pr...

Another pipeline project was proposed this week. The Northern Shield Energy Corridor would carry half a million barrels a day from Alberta to Ontario. Some First Nations have expressed concern, while Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has yet to weigh in on the 3,300 km pipeline that would run through the province. Also on the panel this week, a look at some of the resolutions for next week's Assembly Of...

We are a few hours away now from a fast-changing announcement on the next steps for a pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia.  The proposed pipeline was to be announced by July 1 and much remains up in the air. What is the route, is there a private sector proponent and will shovels actually hit the ground next year?  For more, our Truth & Politics panel is here. Joining Host Dennis Ward is Jenn...

This week, the federal government announced three major projects to be considered for fast tracking under the Building Canada Act – and all three have major implications for Indigenous Peoples. They include a deep-water port in Nunavut, a highway connecting Yellowknife with Inuvik in the Northwest Territories and the deep geological repository for nuclear waste in northwestern Ontario. Joining hos...

A war of words is unfolding in Alberta after chiefs there unanimously passed a resolution this week calling for an investigation into Premier Danielle Smith and members of the United Conservative Party. The Assembly of Treaty Chiefs in Alberta want the RCMP and auditor general to look into actions by Smith and the UPC when it comes to violating treaties, calling a referendum and failing to take ac...

It's Pride Month, Indigenous History Month, pow wow season and Sundance time. There are also several audits underway on how Indigenous governments and organizations are spending their funding. Those are the topics on this week's Truth & Politics panel. Joining host Tiar Wheatle to discuss are Jennifer Laewetz of Paskwâw Strategies and Niigaan Sinclair with the Winnipeg Free Press. • • • APTN Natio...

There has been an increased amount of violence in First Nations in recent months, and much of it is in the North. That is one of the topics for this week's Truth & Politics panel. Also on the panel this week, changes to a proposed anti-hate bill that would have made residential school denialism a punishable crime failed to pass in the Senate, the Assembly of First Nations' trip to Buckingham Palac...

Premiers from Western Canada and the territories met in Alberta earlier this week. Much was on the agenda, but one of the big headlines to come out of it was comments Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew made during a press conference, calling out Alberta Premier Danielle Smith over separation and the duty to consult. That is one of the topics for this week's Truth & Politics panel. Joining host Dennis Ward...

There is continuing controversy over an Indigenous-led, unscripted comedy series in early production for CBC Entertainment and APTN, as the future of the show looks murky. According to a joint statement from CBC and APTN, Northland Tales was pitched at an Indigenous Screen Summit in 2024 as a satirical prank show. For clarity, APTN News had no prior knowledge nor any involvement in this production...

An Alberta judge has delivered a major blow to the separatist movement in Alberta after quashing the separatist petition, saying the provincial government breached its duty to consult with First Nations. That is one of our topics for this week's Truth & Politics panel. Joining host Dennis Ward to discuss are Alberta-based strategist and advisor Cara Currie Hall and Winnipeg Free Press columnist Ni...