CRTC decision expected in February

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The application has been heard for the creation of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network in what was reported to be a festive atmosphere with intervenors coming from an ample number of supporters.

The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission heard presentations from Adam Beach, Tina Keeper and the Assembly of First Nations on behalf of APTN in November 1998 in Hull, Que. The only intervenor that spoke against the creation of APTN was the Canadian Cable Television Association, but a spokesperson for the Aboriginal Network said the CRTC downplayed the opposition remarks.

"We are proceeding as if the application is going ahead," said Abraham Tagalik, chair of Television Northern Canada. Tagalik felt optimistic about the hearing for APTN, but he is also pragmatic about the amount of control the CRTC has over the application. Tagalik is waiting for the response from the CRTC, which he expects sometime in late February.

"We are basically at the mercy of the CRTC, but we are trying to prepare as much as we realistically can," said Tagalik. If the APTN application for a conventional television license is successful, a southern base for a satellite uplink centre will likely be set up in Winnipeg, said Tagalik.

The idea for a national television programming service came from the successful Television Northern Canada Incorporated. Since 1991, TVNC has been operating a network that offers Aboriginal programming to people in the north.

More than a year ago, Tagalik, a team from TVNC and an advisory group began working towards the CRTC application. The proposed national Aboriginal network, if approved, will offer a full range of programming such as daily news service, sports and educational and cultural shows.

The support from Aboriginal agencies and Aboriginal people for the creation of APTN is overwhelming, said Tagalik. As part of the application, market research was carried out that showed nearly two-thirds of Canadians supported a national Aboriginal television network.

The chairman of TVNC waits patiently for the CRTC decision that could change Aboriginal television programming in Canada and the way the world looks at Aboriginal people forever.