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 University of Alberta, is one of the them speaking out. Alongside Métis activist Tracey Leost, he’s calling on Ottawa to treat residential school denialism as hate speech and take concrete steps to stop its spread.

Kucher joins us to talk about their calls to action and why confronting denialism is critical to reconciliation.

• • •

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/

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 journalist Karyn Pugliese takes the helm of Nation to Nation. She shares what it's like to be just blocks from Parliament Hill and how she’ll be covering the political landscape.

From truth-seeking journalism to political deep dives, this season of current affairs shows is one to look forward to.

• • •

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 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 voice to the Andersons’ flashcard sets and learning materials.

Grant and Ben Anderson join us to talk about the urgency of language preservation and how they’re working to ensure future generations can carry Michif forward.

• • •

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 edition of APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens looks at the record number of Indigenous films featured at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, also known as TIFF.

Among the eight Indigenous films premiering this year is Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising, a documentary from Shane Belcourt and Tanya Talaga on the 1974 occupation of Anicinabe Park.

Also featured is Nika and Madison, by Walpole Island First Nation director Eva Thomas, which follows two estranged friends brought back together by a police encounter.

All eight films are supported by the Indigenous Screen Office’s Story Fund, which invested $3.5 million to bring Indigenous stories to the screen this year.

Melanie Nepinak Hadley, the ISO’s vice-president of industry partnerships and growth, joins us to talk about how the film festival landscape has evolved to welcome more Indigenous voices.

Courtesy:

Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising Trailer OV

NIKA & MADISON Clip | TIFF 2025

• • •

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/

This week on APTN News InFocus, guest host Jesse Andrushko speaks with Ottawa correspondent Karyn Pugliese about what came out of the Assembly of First Nations Annual General Assembly in Winnipeg.

National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak opened the gathering with concerns about the One Canadian Economy Act, the law Ottawa says will fast-track projects in the national interest. Chiefs also debated child welfare, with Chief Pauline Frost speaking on behalf of the National Children’s Chiefs’ Commission. And Chief Mark Arcand shared a personal story during discussions on the opioid crisis.

Karyn breaks down what happened at the meeting and whether chiefs are any clearer on how to respond to Ottawa.

• • •

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/

This week on APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens continues her conversation with veteran journalist and outgoing APTN web reporter Kathleen Martens.

With more than 35 years in the industry, Kathleen reflects on the lessons she’s learned like what it takes to build trust with sources and adapt in a fast-changing media landscape.

She also shares insights for emerging journalists navigating the profession, and what she hopes for the future of Indigenous-focused news coverage.

Read more of Kathleen’s reporting at http://aptnnews.ca/ and find the Our Relatives podcast here: https://aptnnews.ca/ourrelatives

• • •

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/

This week on APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens sits down with veteran journalist and APTN web reporter Kathleen Martens.

When Kathleen joined APTN 15 years ago as a writer and researcher, she already had two decades of newsroom experience. But as a non-Indigenous journalist working for an Indigenous news outlet, she says the role reshaped her understanding of truth, trust and storytelling.

From courtrooms to bus shacks, Kathleen has interviewed thousands of people, reported on the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people and exposed predatory lawyers targeting residential school survivors. In 2023, she created Our Relatives, a podcast sharing the stories of people experiencing homelessness in Winnipeg.

As she heads into retirement, Kathleen reflects on her 35-year career and the changes she’s witnessed in the industry.

Read more of Kathleen’s reporting at http://aptnnews.ca/ and find the Our Relatives podcast here: https://aptnnews.ca/ourrelatives

• • •

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/

This week on APTN News InFocus, host Cierra Bettens takes a closer look at the wildfires reshaping summers across the country.

For the four Island Lake First Nations in northern Manitoba, 2025 has been a season of evacuations, loss and displacement. Anisininew Okimawin Grand Chief Alex McDougall joins us from Garden Hill First Nation to share how fires have uprooted communities and why leaders are calling for a national fire strategy that includes Indigenous voices at the table.

With thousands forced from their homes and experts warning that climate change will only make fire seasons longer and more destructive, we explore how Canada can shift its focus from emergency response to prevention and preparedness.

• • •

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/