Federal officials are refusing to tell MPs which artworks disappeared from a multi-million dollar indigenous art collection, declining to identify either the creators or titles of pieces that have gone missing from government offices over decades.In a report to the Commons heritage committee, Crown-Indigenous Relations said it would not publicly name artists or works until consent is obtained, despite MPs questioning whether the department has minimized suspected thefts and losses.“The department has initiated outreach to artists and estates to inform them that artwork that they or their ancestor had created are currently unaccounted for,” officials wrote. “Contact has been made with the artists or estates connected to 47 of the artworks.”The department said it would continue outreach efforts but insisted privacy concerns justified withholding details from Parliament. “In order to respect privacy, for those artists who have not yet provided consent, the requested information does not include personal identifiers and intellectual property details,” the report said.Blacklock's Reporter said there is no legal requirement to conceal the titles or creators of the missing works. .The department also censored the same information when records were requested under the Access to Information Act. The lost pieces include paintings, sculptures and jewelry acquired as early as 1968.Public scrutiny of the department’s handling of its $14.4 million indigenous art collection followed the release of an internal audit on Oct. 19. The audit identified 132 pieces categorized as “works not accounted for.”Senior managers attempted to downplay the losses during a Nov. 19 appearance before the heritage committee, describing the missing art as having limited financial significance.“Unaccounted for artworks represent an assessment value of about $49,000 of the overall collection value of $14.4 million, or about 0.3% of the overall value of the collection,” said associate deputy minister Rob Wright.MPs challenged that estimate, saying it failed to reflect the rising value of indigenous art. Conservative MP Kevin Waugh said the figure was implausibly low..“I don’t know where you’re getting this number of $49,000, but I can tell you it’s low,” said Waugh.“When I look at indigenous art today, it has tripled in value in the last five years.”Conservative MP Jamie Schmale said the losses reflected decades of neglect. “This went on for decades,” he said, adding that missing works carry cultural and financial value that cannot be brushed aside.“This doesn’t happen in the National Gallery,” Schmale said.Conservative MP Rachael Thomas was more blunt, calling the department’s handling of the collection “despicable” and accusing officials of indifference.“Never mind the cultural value, never mind our pursuit of reconciliation as a nation,” Thomas told the committee. “You shrug your shoulders and pretend it doesn’t matter.”
