Hudson’s Bay artifacts should be given to the public: Wab Kinew

Daniel Halmarson reports on concerns artifacts of public importance being auctioned off by Hudson's Bay Company could fall into the wrong hands.

WINNIPEG — Manitoba’s premier says he wants Hudson’s Bay’s artifacts to be handed over to the public rather than put up for auction.

Wab Kinew says items held by Canada’s oldest company are part of Canadian and Indigenous history and don’t belong in private hands.

Hudson’s Bay is currently working toward an auction for its 1,700 art pieces, 2,700 artifacts and the 355-year-old royal charter that launched the company.

Archival institutions, governments and Indigenous groups, including the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, have all expressed concerns that public access to the items will be lost, if they are sold off to private groups.

Kinew says his province, which houses hundreds of thousands of Bay artifacts at the Manitoba Museum and Archives of Manitoba, shouldn’t have to intervene or pay money to rescue the items given the public interest in Hudson’s Bay’s artifacts.

He says it would be unfortunate if the province has to buy the artifacts only for the money to wind up in the hands of the Bay’s U.S. owners or its many creditors awaiting payment for the cash they are owed.

“I’m not going to rule out anything on behalf of the province getting involved, but the most straightforward thing is you have a process that’s playing out in public,” he said.

“Why don’t they just make sure that these things that matter to the Canadian people, to Canadian history, to First Nations, Indigenous people ... fall into the hands of the public?”

The auction Hudson’s Bay is pursuing with Heffel Gallery Ltd. allows items to be removed from the process if they are found to be owned by others or have historical or cultural significance making them inappropriate for a sale.

The company, which has filed for creditor protection and is liquidating all its stores, has not said what items are in its collection.

A source familiar with the auction process, who was not authorized to speak publicly, has told The Canadian Press the items proposed to be auctioned off include paintings dating back to 1650, point blankets, paper documents and even collectible Barbie dolls.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2025

The Canadian Press