Federal government still missing 111 Indigenous artworks from its collection

OTTAWA — The federal government still can’t locate 111 Indigenous artworks missing from its collection — nearly two years after an internal audit found it couldn’t account for 132.

The Indigenous Art Centre’s collection — established by the federal government in 1965 to protect, preserve and promote Indigenous art — consists of more than 5,000 works from First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists.

The collection, which is valued at roughly $14.4 million, includes works by such renowned artists as Christi Belcourt, Elisapee Ishulutaq, Kent Monkman and Norval Morrisseau.

An internal audit of the collection, dated November 2024, was posted last October on the Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada website. It tracked the operations of the department’s Indigenous Art Centre from April 2019 to August 2024 and said the centre could not account for 132 items in the collection.

The audit does not say how much the mislaid artworks are worth.

In an emailed statement to The Canadian Press, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs spokesperson Jacinthe Goulet said the department has accounted for 17 of the missing artworks and another four have been flagged as possible duplicate entries in their database.

Goulet said the department continues to look for the other artworks and has been checking regional federal government buildings.

In 2022, the Indigenous Art Centre began relocating its collection to temporary private sector storage facilities while the former storage site was undergoing renovations.

The audit said the collection faced “key risks” to its security during and after the relocation and warned of an “increased risk of theft and security breaches.”

It also warned that mishandling culturally important pieces in the collection could pose a reputational risk and damage the department’s relationships with Indigenous people.

The audit said the 132 mislaid artworks included an unspecified number of pieces that had not been found, even though the department had a list of their last known locations.

“Up-to-date policy instruments with clear roles and responsibilities for implementing requirements for the protection, preservation, and promotion of the collection are essential for ensuring that the department fulfils its mandate to oversee the development and maintenance of Indigenous art held in its care,” the audit says.

“Failing to fulfil key requirements can erode trust bestowed upon it by Indigenous artists and also negatively impact the collection’s designated status through the (Canadian Heritage) Movable Cultural Property Program.”

The audit report called on the department to keep better records and improve monitoring and oversight processes for employees tasked with managing the collection.

Goulet told The Canadian Press the department is continuing to improve its art management and record-keeping practices.

She said the department also reinforced security and contracting rules.

“Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada understands the importance of its responsibility to the collection and to Canadians. That is why we will continue to appropriately care for these national treasures, improve our art management practices, and strive for excellence,” Goulet wrote.

The department said last year most of the missing pieces were loaned out to government offices in the 1980s for display purposes. It said many of the items identified as missing were reproductions, and there is no evidence of wrongdoing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2026.