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The proposed liquidation of many of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s (HBC) collections that together trace over three centuries of Indigenous and European interaction across this continent represents a profound threat to Canada’s collective memory and identity. An Ontario Superior Court judge ruled that the company could move forward with an auction of 4,400 items — including historic artifacts and artworks. Several government and non-government cultural agencies, including the Manitoba Museum and the Indigenous Council of the Canadian Museums Association , have expressed concern to HBC and the financial advisory firm it’s working with.
First Nations leaders and scholars say many of the objects likely have profound significance to Indigenous Peoples and are calling for repatriation . As an art history professor who has researched curatorial and museum practices, I can attest to the cultural and scholarly value of keeping documentary and cultural collections intact, rather than being scattered across the globe or disappearing into private hands. This situation exposes the reach and limits of Canada’s Cultural Property Export and Import Act (CPEIA) .
The act has provisions to delay or block export of cultural property, defined broadly as “ any cultural or heritage object, regardless of its place of origin , which may be important from an archaeological, historical, artistic or scientific perspective.” Yet, this legislation offers no guarantees that the objects will end up in Canadian museums or under Indigenous stewardship..
