Hudson's Bay artifacts don't belong in private hands, should be handed to the public: Wab Kinew
Company prepares to auction off 4,400 artifacts and art pieces after court rules in favour of sales process
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 of 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 concern that public access to the items will be lost, if they are sold to private groups.
Kinew said Manitoba, which takes care of hundreds of thousands of Bay artifacts donated in 1994 and housed at the Manitoba Museum and the Archives of Manitoba, shouldn't have to intervene or pay money to rescue the items, given the public interest in them.
It would be unfortunate for the province to buy the artifacts and have the money wind up in the hands of the Bay's U.S. owners or its many creditors awaiting payment for the cash they are owed, he said.
"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 that make 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.