AMC Calls for Transparency and Consultation with First Nations regarding Hudson’s Bay Company’s Auction of Artifacts
April 24, 2025
Treaty One Territory, Manitoba
AMC Communications
Treaty One Territory, Winnipeg, MB – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) has issued a notice to the Court-appointed Monitor for Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) expressing concern with plans to auction thousands of historical artifacts that may include items of cultural, spiritual and historical significance to AMC member First Nations. This follows HBC’s recent filings under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA), in which the company disclosed plans to liquidate its art and artifact collection.
In a letter dated April 22, 2025, Grand Chief Kyra Wilson formally requested the following actions:
- Halt any sale or transfer of artifacts that may belong to or be linked with First Nations;
- Make public the full catalogue of items being considered for liquidation.
- Commit to a First Nations-led review process, involving First Nations Leaders, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and legal counsel; and
- Work with appropriate institutions and First Nations to identify pathways for repatriation, shared stewardship, and respectful preservation.
As Grand Chief Kyra Wilson emphasized in the letter, “The HBC’s legacy is inseparable from the post-contact history of the original peoples on this land. These artifacts are not simply “valuable assets” or one-of-a-kind collectibles, but pieces of living history, some of which may be sacred, stolen from First Nations or properly First Nations-owned.”
Grand Chief Wilson’s letter was included in the Supplemental Affidavit filed by HBC’s financial advisor at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Also included in this affidavit were letters from the Canada Advisory Committee for Memory of the World and the Department of Canadian Heritage expressing concern over the sale of these artifacts.
Counsel for the Court-appointed Monitor has responded to Grand Chief’s letter and advised that a full catalogue of the items proposed for auction will be made public and confirmed that they are open to further discussions with the AMC.
“We appreciate the timely response to our letter,” said Grand Chief Wilson. “Our Chiefs, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers have voiced concerns about the importance of reclaiming our cultural artifacts. We are optimistic that any items belonging to First Nations in Manitoba will be identified and returned to their rightful owners. I also call on the provincial and federal governments to prioritize the co-development of legislation with First Nations that creates a clear and enforceable process for the return of First Nations property, consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Repatriating our cultural artifacts is about dignity, sovereignty and respect.”
The AMC reaffirms its commitment to working collaboratively with all parties to protect and repatriate First Nations cultural artifacts.
For more information, please contact:
Communications Team
Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs
Email: media@manitobachiefs.com
About the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs:
The AMC was formed in 1988 by the Chiefs in Manitoba to advocate on issues that commonly affect First Nations in Manitoba. AMC is an authorized representative of all 63 First Nations in Manitoba with a total of more than 172,000 First Nations citizens in the province, accounting for approximately 12 percent of the provincial population. AMC represents a diversity of Anishinaabe, Nehetho / Ininew, Anisininew, Denesuline, and Dakota Oyate peoples.