Question Period Note: The Indigenous Art Collection

N.A.

• Established in 1965, the Collection has contributed economic benefits to Indigenous artists across Canada.
• The Government of Canada takes its responsibility for the care of the Collection seriously.
• My Department has taken the necessary measures to protect and conserve the Collection.
• The Department has deferred the purchasing of new art work since 2023 in light of the current fiscal constraints. If pressed on the internal loan program
• Up to the mid-2010’s, the Collection was used as a decorative resource, administered through internal art Loan Agreements, between the Department, sectors and regional offices, and other government departments.
• Various types of art pieces were loaned, many were reproductions; paintings, prints, photographs, posters, drawings, and sculptures.
• A 2013 report from the Canadian Conservation Institute identified office displays as a danger to the Collection, and the program was terminated in 2017.
• The Indigenous Art Center’s focus is now on the external loans program which generates professional and financial benefits to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists.

In 2025, CIRNAC completed an audit of the Indigenous Art Collection, which is housed within the Department’s Indigenous Art Centre. Established in 1965, the Indigenous Art Centre supports the acquisition, preservation, protection, and promotion of contemporary Canadian Indigenous Art. The Indigenous Art Collection is a significant federal heritage collection consisting of 5,176 works valued at approximately $14.4 million and represents a diverse range of art forms from prominent, mid-career, and emerging First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists. In 2022, the Indigenous Art Centre began relocating the Collection to a temporary Public Services and Procurement Canada storage facility located within the National Capital Region as the previous storage facility was going through renovations. The Indigenous Art Collection also stores a portion of the art at third party storage facilities owned by private sector vendors.
Overall, the internal audit found that CIRNAC has implemented partial components of a management control framework to support activities related to the acquisition, preservation, promotion, de-accession, and disposition of Indigenous art within the Indigenous Art Collection. Within the Indigenous Art Centre, roles and responsibilities have been assigned to operate the Art Collection with systems in place to support the recordkeeping of art pieces. The setup of the temporary storage facility addressed some prior concerns related to preservation and protection that were identified through inspections of the prior storage space. The Indigenous Art Centre had recently established emergency management and integrated pest management plans.
The audit identified gaps in record keeping of the Department which have since been actively addressed. As part of its action plan in response to the audit, the Department has taken important steps to formalize and document its processes and policies and reinforced security and contracting practices ensuring safekeeping and conservation of the Indigenous art Collection under its care.
The audit observed that 132 art pieces were identified as “works not accounted for” and considered missing, not stolen. 91 of these artworks were part of the internal loan program in the 1980’s, borrowed from Departmental and Regional Offices, and other government departments. This program has since been halted and all artworks recalled. Furthermore, in 2010, during data migration to a Museum Industry Standard Collection Management System, some items were entered into the system as duplicate records. The Department has made it a priority of working through the figures to confirm duplicates, and have already accounted for 10 artworks. Lastly, 20 of the items listed as unaccounted for are reproductions or promotional materials.
The Art Centre uses an industry standard/recognized inventory system purpose built for tracking and recording information for artwork and artifacts: Mimsy XG. Artwork location and condition is tracked on a regular and ongoing basis using this system, as artwork is moved, loaned, installed.
The Centre works closely with the Canadian Conservation Institute to ensure activity and spaces adhere to industry standards and recommendations. The Art Centre has worked with departmental Security to minimize vault access and establish alarm and access protocols.
The audit also observed several opportunities for improvement including those related to governance, oversight and security of the collection. The audit resulted in 5 recommendations to address these findings. Management has accepted all the recommendations and is implementing them.

If pressed on Missing Art Pieces
• The Department has accepted all recommendations made through the recent internal audit and implemented additional measures to address record-keeping.
• While the audit referred to a small number of art pieces whose current location could not be confirmed, there was no finding of theft or ill-intent. Importantly, the “unaccounted for” pieces were identified prior to the audit period.
• The combined total value of the “unaccounted for” works reported is $16,092.
• Close to 70% of the 132 pieces were loaned to Government offices prior to 2017, many dating back to the 1980’s. This specific loan program was halted, in 2017, to reduce risk.
• In other cases, while upgrading to a Museum Standard Collections Management System, duplicate records were created.
•Since the audit, 12 pieces of art have been located.
• The current vault space meets RCMP secured storage requirements which includes access control, mesh in non-concrete walls, frame reinforcement of doors, security bars installed in HVAC duct work, and a 24/7 monitoring system that communicates with Departmental Security system.