APTN News InFocus

This week on APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens looks at what's at stake for Indigenous communities as governments across Canada move to accelerate energy and resource projects. In Nova Scotia a ban on uranium mining and fracking has been reversed. Quebec is proposing changes that could make it easier for companies to clear-cut forests. Manitoba is talking about a pipeline and Ontario's Bill 5...

Tattoos can be badges of pride or painful reminders of the past. For some, especially those impacted by gangs, incarceration or violence, their body art tells a story they no longer want to carry. APTN's Tamara Pimentel joins Cierra Bettens this week on APTN News InFocus to share the story behind Skin Deep, an APTN Investigates episode that looks at Mother Ink, a Winnipeg-based tattoo removal serv...

This week on APTN News InFocus, we're celebrating a milestone: 25 years of APTN News. From mailing tapes to digital transformation and award-winning journalism, APTN has grown into a network of Indigenous reporters telling Indigenous stories on their own terms. Guest host Karyn Pugliese is joined by Dan David, Bruce Spence, Todd Lamirande and Charmaine Straker, some of the key people who helped bu...

This week on APTN News InFocus we go to the High Arctic, where climate change, sovereignty and survival intersect. We're featuring the first episode of The Place That Thaws, a six-part podcast from APTN News and Danielle Paradis, recently nominated for a Canadian Association of Journalists award. Set in Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord, the series shares powerful stories from Inuit adapting to a warmi...

This week on APTN News InFocus, guest host Kathleen Martens looks at treaty rights and the Alberta separatist movement. Matthew Wildcat, an assistant professor and director of Indigenous governance in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, explains why treaty rights could block Alberta's push to leave Canada. He unpacks the province's Sovereignty Act, Bill 54 and what it means...

This week on APTN News InFocus, we're looking ahead to wildfire season and asking if our communities are any better prepared than in years past. Wildfires are already burning. Forests are going up in flames. People are being forced from their homes. Guest host Leanne Sanders sits down with Arnold Lazare, interim executive director of the Indigenous Fire Safety Council. He joins us from Kahnawake t...

This week on APTN News InFocus we look behind the scenes of debunking a police investigation. In 2015, Matty Fairman and Tyler Maracle from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory were found dead in the Bay of Quinte. Police said the men drowned after stealing fish and overloading their boat. Their families never believed it. Now, neither does APTN Investigates reporter Kenneth Jackson. In the fourth chapter...

This week on APTN News InFocus, we break down the results of the April 28 federal election. The Liberals remain in power and the Conservatives will form the official opposition. The Bloc Québécois lost seats and the NDP dropped to just seven—losing official party status in the process. Twelve First Nations, Inuit and Métis candidates were elected across party lines. One of them is Mi'kmaw Liberal...

This week on APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens checks in as the federal election campaign hits its final stretch. For more than a month, party leaders have been making promises about prosperity, wealth and good governance—but what's in it for Indigenous Peoples? Dennis Ward, host of APTN National News, and Jennifer Laewetz, political commentator and panelist on APTN's Truth and Politics panel...

This week on APTN InFocus, host Cierra Bettens explores the growing movement for Indigenous data sovereignty. In a TED Talk, British investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr warns we may already be "living inside the architecture of totalitarianism," referring to the predatory ways big tech companies harvest, use and sell data. Data holds a lot. It holds stories, histories, languages — all the i...

This week on APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens unpacks the latest controversy over Métis identity in Ontario. The Métis National Council released a report suggesting the existence of seven historic Métis communities in the province—a claim swiftly rejected by the Manitoba Métis Federation, Métis Nation–Saskatchewan, Métis Nation British Columbia and the Chiefs of Ontario. To make sense of the...

This week on APTN InFocus, host Cierra Bettens explores what Arctic sovereignty really means for Inuit in the North. As federal leaders call for more military infrastructure - from bases in Iqaluit to new fleets of fighter jets - questions are being raised about who these efforts protect, and at what cost. Journalist David Pugliese from the Ottawa Citizen joins Bettens to break down Canada's defen...

This week on APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens takes a closer look at where Indigenous issues stand as federal parties ramp up their campaigns. The five main political parties have been working the campaign trail since March 23. Threats from the United States and other foreign powers are, so far, dominating the campaign. But what have candidates been saying about Indigenous issues—from housin...

This week on APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens takes a closer look at policing in Canada and its impact on Indigenous Peoples. In the final months of 2024, 15 Indigenous people died after interactions with police—some were shot, others beaten to death or run over by cruisers. Their deaths have reignited calls for a national inquiry into systemic racism in policing, the focus of Inside Policin...

This week on APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens examines the years-long fight to search the Prairie Green landfill and the delays that kept families waiting. In December 2022, Cambria Harris stood on Parliament Hill, pleading for a search of the landfill where her mother, Morgan Harris, and others were believed to be. Despite her calls for action, it took two more years for the search to begin...

This week on APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens examines the mercury crisis in Grassy Narrows and the community's ongoing fight for justice and healing. In the 1960s and '70s, the Dryden paper mill dumped nearly nine tonnes of mercury into the English-Wabigoon River system, devastating the downstream community of Grassy Narrows. Today, an estimated 90 per cent of the community has symptoms of...

This week on APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens examines the impact of the looming trade war between Canada and the U.S. and what it means for Indigenous businesses. As U.S. President Donald Trump plans to move ahead with 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian exports, companies across the country are scrambling to adapt. But for Indigenous businesses, many of which already face barriers, the economi...

In this episode, we're putting Jordan's Principle InFocus. For nearly 20 years the federal government has been running a program called Jordan's Principle. The program is supposed to provide First Nations children living on reserve with the same services children living off-reserve could receive. It's named after Jordan River Anderson – a boy from Norway House Cree Nation who was born with multipl...

In this episode, host Cierra Bettens explores the efforts to revitalize Indigenous languages across Turtle Island. February is I Love to Read month, and APTN reporter Tiar Wheatle is leading Mother Tongue Teachings—a new series featuring language speakers sharing a phrase of the day. Tiar joins us to discuss the series, her language journey, and the role of journalists in language revitalization....

In this episode, we put the Liberal leadership race InFocus. Five candidates are competing to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, each making promises and presenting their vision for Canada. Several challenges lie ahead, including housing, immigration, foreign relations—and dealing with U.S. President Donald Trump. However, little has been said about issues impacting Indigenous Peoples. From cl...

In this episode, we put drug trafficking InFocus. From coast to coast, First Nations are grappling with the impacts of drug trafficking. Outside dealers are preying on vulnerable community members—but many nations are mobilizing to push back. Award winning APTN Investigates journalist Kenneth Jackson joins us to discuss his report, The Great Change, which shines a light on big-city drug dealers pr...

In this episode, we put the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge InFocus. Gwich'in leaders like Chief Pauline Frost explain why this sacred land is vital to their people. But corporate interests, backed by politicians, have eyed it for oil and gas drilling. Despite challenges, President Trump's declaration of a "national energy emergency" keeps his push for drilling alive. Reporter Sara Connors joins u...

The presence of Indigenous people on film and behind the scenes has been growing throughout the years. On InFocus we look at those leaving their mark on the big screen.

From organizing rallies and walks to creating platforms for Indigenous people to speak out – young Indigenous youth are on the move and their actions are put InFocus.

InFocus takes a look back at the wildfire season, some of the causes of extreme weather events and what can be done to make a positive impact towards the climate crisis.