Global Television and APTN Return as the Broadcasters of the 17th Annual
National Aboriginal Achievement Awards

    
       Awards Gala Airs Saturday, May 1 - 9pm ET/PT on Global and APTN

      Hosted by Andrea Menard (The Velvet Devil, Rabbit Fall) and
                   Raoul Trujillo (True Blood, Apocalypto)

         Appearances by International Music Icon Buffy Sainte-Marie,
      Crystal Shawanda, Lorne Cardinal (Corner Gas) and Michael Greyeyes
                               (Passchendaele)

         For photography and additional press materials please visit:
                           www.canwesttvmedia.com
    

TORONTO, April 19 /CNW/ - Global Television and APTN today announced broadcast details for the 17th Annual National Aboriginal Achievement Awards (NAAA). Premiering Saturday, May 1 - 9pm ET/PT on Global and APTN, the awards encourage and celebrate excellence in First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities across Canada.

Hosted by Andrea Menard (The Velvet Devil, Rabbit Fall) and Raoul Trujillo (True Blood, Apocalypto), the NAAA were held in Regina on Friday, March 26. The gala ceremony broadcast features appearances by international music icon Buffy Sainte-Marie; country music artist Crystal Shawanda; musician Elisapie Isaac; actor Lorne Cardinal (Corner Gas); actor Michael Greyeyes (Passchendaele); songwriter/producer/musician Leemai Lafontaine; members of the Red Bull Drum Group; and The Wanuskewin International Dance Troupe.

"This annual celebration is an ongoing inspiration to Canadians nationwide," said Christine Shipton, SVP, Drama and Factual Content, Canwest Broadcasting. "Global Television, alongside broadcast partner APTN, proudly returns for its fifth consecutive year to showcase and applaud the recipients and their wonderful accomplishments."

"The National Aboriginal Achievement Awards are instrumental in recognizing excellence within First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities across the nation, providing much-deserved acknowledgement that, in turn, encourages and empowers our youth. APTN is proud to play a part in showcasing the outstanding accomplishments of this year's award recipients to all of Canada, once again joining with Global Television as official broadcasters," said Sky Bridges, APTN Director of Marketing.

Created in 1993, the awards are the highest honour the Aboriginal community bestows upon its recipients. NAAA celebrate career achievements by professionals in diverse occupations. Each year, a national jury selects 12 career award winners, one youth and one lifetime achievement award recipient. Categories of recognition include arts; business and commerce; culture, heritage and spirituality; education; environment and natural resources; health; law and justice; media and communications; politics; public service; sports; as well as technology and trades.

"These are stories of inspiration and admiration, and it's a true privilege for us to be able to shine the spotlight on our deserving recipients with the help of broadcast partners Global and APTN," Roberta Jamieson, President and CEO of NAAF and Executive Producer of the Awards Gala. "Each year we hope to reach those just waiting for the opportunity to demonstrate their potential, and it's a real testament that after 17 amazing years, the recipients continue to raise the bar of excellence."

For a complete list of award winners, performers and presenters please visit www.naaf.ca

Global Television is a Canwest Broadcasting network.

About Canwest Broadcasting

Canwest Broadcasting operates Global Television and 18 of the country's most popular specialty channels, including HGTV, Mystery TV, National Geographic Channel, Showcase, History Television, Food Network and TVtropolis. Canwest Broadcasting is a division of Canwest Media Inc.

About Canwest Media Inc.

Canwest Media Inc. is a subsidiary of Canwest Global Communications Corp. (www.canwest.com), Canada's largest media company. In addition to owning the Global Television Network, operating 18 industry-leading specialty channels and having ownership in 5 specialty channels, Canwest is Canada's largest publisher of English language paid daily newspapers and owns and operates more than 80 online properties.

About APTN

September 1, 2009 marked the 10-year anniversary of the launch of the first national Aboriginal television network in the world with programming by, for and about Aboriginal Peoples to share with all Canadians and viewers around the world. APTN is available in approximately 10 million Canadian households and commercial establishments with cable, direct-to-home satellite (DTH), telco-delivered and fixed wireless television service providers. The network launched its high definition channel APTNHD in the spring of 2008. APTN does not receive government funding for operations but generates revenue through subscriber fees, advertising sales and strategic partnerships. APTN broadcasts programming with 56% offered in English, 16% in French and 28% in Aboriginal languages. For program schedule or for more information, please contact APTN at [phone] or toll-free at 1-888-278-8862, or visit the website at www.aptn.ca.

For further information: For media inquiries, please contact: Global Television: Sónia Brum, Publicist, Global Television, [phone], [email protected]; Grace Park, Publicity Manager, Global Television, [phone], [email protected]; APTN: Sylvia Kolopenuk, Manager of Communications, APTN, [phone] ext: 339; [email protected]; National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation: Jamie Monastyrski, Director of Communications & Media, [phone] ext: 238, [email protected]; Pennant Media Group: Kevin Pennant, Toronto: [phone], Los Angeles: [phone], [email protected]