Ottawa is now admitting that jewelry and other artworks quietly disappeared from the federal government’s multimillion-dollar indigenous art collection over the past three decades, with officials unable to say what the missing pieces were worth or where they went.Blacklock's Reporter says the disclosure came through an Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the Commons after Conservative MP Jamie Schmale (Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes) demanded a full accounting of all unverified or missing works. The department of Crown-indigenous relations confirmed that jewelry vanished from a regional office roughly 30 years ago, but only acknowledged the loss this year.Officials would not describe the jewelry, identify the artists or provide valuations, citing a lack of consent from artists or estates. The missing items are part of the department’s 5,174-piece, $14.4-million Indigenous Art Collection, billed as the largest of its kind in the country.According to the Inquiry, works purchased as far back as 1968 have gone missing. .Fourteen sculptures, paintings and other works disappeared from a vault at headquarters, while another 23 pieces vanished from office displays nationwide. One print was lost after being exhibited on Parliament Hill in 2011. Dozens of artworks used in regional offices over 30 years have since disappeared without explanation.The revelations follow an internal audit released October 19 that flagged 132 pieces as “works not accounted for.” Auditors said some items had known last locations but could not be recovered, while others were simply missing. The department has collected art since 1965 and has never sold a single piece.The audit also found that millions in artwork were being stored in a leased Gatineau facility and a federal building where security cameras were either absent or not functioning. Auditors noted that required annual condition assessments were never completed, despite the collection being managed by 10 employees.At a November 20 heritage committee meeting, Conservative MP Kevin Waugh (Saskatoon South) asked why police were not contacted. Deputy minister Valerie Gideon said there was “no indication at all” of theft or criminal activity, describing the issue instead as a documentation failure that staff are still reviewing.
