APTN News Brief

Our lead story: The National Children's Chiefs Commission and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society claim their plan for long-term First Nations child welfare reform is more thorough than the federal government's. NOTE: APTN NEWS BRIEF WILL BE ON HIATUS OVER THE HOLIDAYS, RETURNING TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2026. MUSIC: 'Abundance' by 1000 Handz is licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International License.

Our lead story: the Carney government submits its new plan for long-term reform of the First Nations child and family services program to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, pledging $35.5 billion to the end of 2034, then $4.4 billion annually after that.

Our lead story: the Saskatchewan Health Authority says the security guards who evicted an Indigenous man from a Prince Albert hospital out into the cold are now barred from work at any SHA facility.

Our lead story: the same day Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford sign an agreement meant to speed up construction of major projects in the province, Treaty 9 First Nations hold a press conference on their lawsuit against such fast-tracking.

Our lead story: a major Mi'kmaw-led, Aboriginal title claim in the works at Sipekne'katik First Nation in Nova Scotia, the scope of which would include a good chunk of the province.

Our lead story: a Mi'kmaw organization representing over 60 cannabis retailers in Nova Scotia meets to strategize on a provincial crackdown on their operations.

Our lead story: a decade after the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was released, some mark the anniversary with reflection and renewed calls to tackle residential school denialism. 

Our lead story: RCMP in northern Manitoba arrest 27 people and lay 51 drug trafficking related charges under the police operation known as Project Derry.

Our lead story: Treaty 8 First Nations leaders gather in Ottawa to voice their opposition to a recently signed federal/Alberta MOU promoting a future tar sands pipeline to B.C.'s west coast, a proposal they were not consulted on.

Our lead story: citing a variety of issues, the chief and council of Sipekne'katik First Nation vote to ban the premier of Nova Scotia from their lands, along with two of his cabinet ministers.

Our lead story: Inuit artifacts over a hundred years old—included a hand-crafted, sealskin kayak—are newly unveiled to the public at the Canadian Museum of History shortly after their repatriation from the Vatican.  

Our lead story: held overseas for over a century, dozens of items belonging to Indigenous peoples in Canada began their repatriation from the Vatican over the weekend. >Interstitial: zapsplat.com

Our lead story: as colder weather sets in across the Prairies, concern mounts in Saskatoon over a growing number of people without stable housing, some of them from First Nations north of the city.

Our lead story: as the Assembly of First Nations winter meeting wraps up in Ottawa, a panel discussion on economic partnerships features chiefs and federal cabinet ministers.

Our lead story: at a press conference on Parliament Hill, some Ontario chiefs express scepticism about renewed federal promises of clean water legislation for First Nations.  

Our lead story: at day one of the Assembly of First Nations winter meeting in Ottawa, last week's federal/Alberta tar sands pipeline MOU does not go over well with chiefs on the floor.

Our lead story: the search of a Winnipeg-area landfill begins for the remains of 30-year-old mother of three Ashlee Shingoose—one of four First Nations women murdered over three years ago by a now-convicted serial killer.

Our featured story: the Ross River Dena Council speaks out against the proposed $4 billion 'Yukon–British Columbia Grid Connect' project, touted by the Carney government as one of its initial "nation-building" priorities.

Our lead story: with a MOU on a new proposed tar-sands-to-B.C. pipeline now signed, some slam the conditions of the federal/Alberta memorandum of understanding as excessive, while others claim there should have been more attached.

Our lead story: an anticipated federal/Alberta memorandum of understanding regarding a proposed pipeline from the tar sands to the west coast sparks concerns from both British Columbia and First Nations.

Our lead story: Manitoba's Red Dress Alert system takes one step closer to reality with the release of a final report on community consultations.  

Our featured story: the Assembly of First Nations 2SLGBTQQIA council claims new Alberta laws affecting young trans individuals—laws exempt from Charter-based court challenges for 5 years under the so-called notwithstanding clause—directly threaten the safety of Indigenous youth in the province.

Our lead story: a candlelight vigil near the Alberta legislature is held in honour of Natanis Merasty, the missing 24-year-old from Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, last seen in Edmonton this past May.

Our lead story: new and significant developments concerning allegations of misspending of federal Covid-19 relief funds at the Mohawk community of Kanesatake.

Our lead story: a look at the new premier and speaker chosen by Nunavut's recently-elected 21-member territorial legislature. >Interstitial: ZapSplat.com  

Our lead story: environmental groups line up alongside the chief of the Cold Lake First Nations in Alberta to demand a halt to a tar sands carbon capture proposal, the Pathways Alliance Project.

Our lead story: at a ceremony in Manitoba, Mark Carney becomes the first sitting prime minister to attend event commemorating anniversary of Métis leader Louis Riel's execution by the Canadian state.

Our lead story: new charges laid in the death of 21-year-old Grassy Narrows First Nation man Mekhi Pelly, with Terrance Cherry, 24, of Kenora now facing charges of first-degree murder as well as committing an indignity to a dead body.

Our lead story: PM Mark Carney proposes six more large-scale infrastructure projects—three of which would, if built, directly impact Indigenous peoples—supported by a so-called Major Projects Office meant to fast track the regulatory process. 

Our lead story: following news of the statutory release of Shawn Lamb—convicted in 2013 for killing two First Nations women in Winnipeg—family members of the victims are in shock, saying they had no warning it would happen. >Interstitial: zapsplat.com

Our featured story: Manitoba RCMP announce sexual assault charges dating back to 1984 against Chief Vincent Tacan, just days before this week's election on the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation. >Interstitial: zapsplat.com

A special Remembrance Day edition of the Brief centres on commemorations of Indigenous Veterans Day (observed every November 8th) in different parts of Canada. 

Our lead story: as some senators push to add the second-generation Status cut off to Bill S-2's removal of sex-based discrimination from the Indian Act, the Indigenous Services minister wants the bill to go forward as is.

Our lead story: the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) clears two RCMP officers in the August 2024 shooting death of 15-year-old Hoss Lightning Saddleback in Wetaskiwin, AB.  

Our lead story: heavy on infrastructure investments, this week's new federal budget gets mixed reviews from Indigenous organizations.

Our lead story: the Carney government's new federal budget makes big investments in defence, housing and infrastructure, but offers little in the way of new spending on Indigenous-specific priorities. 

Our lead story: Mikisew Cree First Nation in northern Alberta calls on the Carney government to reject the proposed release of toxic tar sands tailings into the environment.

Our lead story: at a semi-public ceremony, the Canadian Armed Forces issues an apology to members of minority groups who suffered racism and harassment while serving.

Our lead story: chiefs at the recent annual general assembly of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations vote to omit discussion of a controversial forensic audit from its agenda.  

Our lead story: with the 2025 federal budget less than a week away, the Carney government announces over $660 million in new funding over 5 years to promote equality for, and reduce violence against, women and gender-diverse Canadians.

Our lead story: witnesses tell the Senate Standing Committee on Indigenous Peoples that Bill S-2—meant to eliminate existing sex- and enfranchisement-based discrimination in the Indian Act—is flawed in its current form. >Interstitial: zapsplat.com

Our lead story: an update on the forthcoming search for the remains of Ashley Shingoose—one of four victims of a Manitoba serial killer back in 2022—a search her surviving family hopes is another step closer to completion. >Interstitial: zapsplat.com

Our lead story: In late May, a wildfire tore through the evacuated community of Chipewyan Lake in Treaty 8 territory, part of Bigstone Cree Nation in Alberta. Nearly half the structures were destroyed and the chief says the federal and provincial governments have been slow to respond. • • • 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/

Our lead story: The Carney government introduces legislation aimed at tightening bail rules for certain offences, but some fear the changes will worsen the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the prison system. • • • 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/

Our lead story: Police are treating the death of a Wolastoqey woman as a homicide after human remains were found in a wooded area north of Fredericton on Monday afternoon. • • • 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/