Question Period Note: The Indigenous Art Collection

N.A.

• The Indigenous Art Collection has contributed economic benefits to Indigenous artists across Canada.
• The Government of Canada takes its responsibility for the care of the Collection seriously and 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.

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 many of the 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”, but were not the result of theft or any ill-intent. The Department has been conducting extensive follow-up work to account for these items.
Of the 132 unaccounted-for items, 7 artworks have been accounted for within the Collection. In addition, the internal Audit incorrectly identified 9 archival and reference materials as being in the Art Collection; 6 of these items have since been accounted for and the department is working towards accounting for the remaining 3.
This leaves 116 items that remain unaccounted-for in the Art Collection, that the department is working towards accounting for:
• 71 items are paintings (17), photographs (1), sculptures (11), drawings (8), fibre arts (31), jewelry (2), and ceramics (1). These have an estimated replacement value of $34,118;
• 25 items are prints (i.e., lithographs, serigraphs, stencils and etchings). These have an estimated replacement value of $13,315.
• 20 items are recorded as being unaccounted-for are reproductions and area not original artworks.
Further efforts are underway in an attempt to locate the remaining unaccounted for artwork. Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada is proceeding with another review of its regional offices and those of Indigenous Services Canada (both formerly part of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada).
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 five 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 and collection management practices.
• While the audit referred to a small number (132) of art pieces whose current location could not be confirmed, there was no finding of theft or ill-intent.
• My department is committed to continuing to work towards accounting for these art pieces. We have already accounted for 7 artworks and prints within the Collection.
• 9 pieces have been identified as archival and reference materials that are not part of the Art Collection.
• 71 artworks and 25 prints remain unaccounted-for, most of which (87) were acquired by regional offices prior to 1994 when a national program was put in place.
• Additionally, in 2017, the Department ended its internal loan program to federal government departmental offices to reduce risk to the Collection.
•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. If pressed on the internal loan program
• Up to the mid-2010’s, artwork within the Collection was loaned for display in national and regional offices of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs and other federal departments.
• Various types of art pieces were loaned, many were reproductions; paintings, prints, photographs, posters, drawings, and sculptures.
• The Indigenous Art Centre recommended terminating the program following a 2013 Canadian Conservation Institute report which identified various preservation risks to the Collection. The program was terminated in 2017.
• The Indigenous Art Center’s focus is now solely on loans to external organizations, which generates professional and financial benefits to First Nation, Métis, and Inuit artists. If pressed on outreach to artists and estates whose artwork is unaccounted for
• My department places great importance on its responsibility to safeguard the artworks in the Collection and to honour the artists behind them.
• That is why my department is reaching out to artists and estates to inform them that artwork they, or their family member had created, is currently unaccounted for.
• Contact has been made with 32 artists or estates connected to 47 of the artworks.
• We are continuing to verifying the contact information for and contact the other artists and estates connected to the remaining unaccounted for artworks.