Metis council, APTN at odds

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Metis National Council President Clement Chartier has threatened to oppose the renewal of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network's broadcasting license.

He did so in a letter written to the APTN board of directors in December. Chartier complained about coverage of the MNC and about the lack of Metis content in the network's programming. APTN is scheduled to go before the Canadian Radio-Telecommunication Commission in 2007. Chartier threatened to intervene against renewal of APTN's broadcast license at those hearings.

A couple of things have raised the ire of the MNC.

On the first day of the organization's annual general meeting last October, Todd Lamironde, a Metis reporter working for APTN National News, produced a man-on-the-street news story that suggested grassroots Metis people had little knowledge of or interest in the Metis National Council election.

APTN sources say the day after the report aired, the AGM was closed to the press. They see a connection between the story and the closed doors, although the MNC has denied any connection.

Windspeaker asked Miles Morrisseau, the director of communications for the MNC, to assist us in setting up an interview with Chartier. We wanted to hear his complaints first-hand.

"The leadership of the MNC wrote to the board of directors of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network to register concerns with respect to APTN's coverage of the Metis Nation, on December 2, 2003. Rather than responding through the media, the MNC hopes APTN's management and/or board of directors will take the time to professionally respond to the issues raised by the Metis Nation in its letter," Morrisseau's wrote in an emailed response. "At this time, we do want to correct the suggestion that we banned APTN's reporters from MNC events, that is not the case. No one was banned from covering the MNC assembly and since the assembly we have accommodated APTN with every media request. We have no further comment on this issue."

During a phone interview on Jan. 25, LaRose said the letter dealt with complaints about the tone of the news coverage and then defended his editorial staff. The news show will continue to take a critical look at all Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal political organizations and Aboriginal leaders are just going to have to get used to it, he said.

"We have to make it well known that we're not going to be the mouthpiece for any political organization," he said.

LaRose admitted that APTN could do a better job of providing programming with Metis content. He committed to take positive steps in that direction.

Later he emailed an additional comment clarifying that position.

"If you quote me on the commitment that I made to increase Metis programming on APTN and improve the presence of the Metis Nation on the network, please ensure that the quote reflects that this is a commitment from the board of directors of APTN as well as me," he wrote.

LaRose said he has been in contact with Ken Schaffer of Metcom, a Metis television production company that has secured a license from the CRTC for a special Metis television network, to talk about developing Metis programming for APTN.

There are not a lot of Metis producers with the credentials required to produce the kind of shows APTN is looking for, LaRose added, but he's committed to doing what he can to create opportunities and improve the service APTN provides to Metis viewers.