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Bill C-291, the return of the Millbrook Regalia 133 years later
One day in 2017, I was visiting Millbrook First Nation near Truro, spending time at the Millbrook Cultural Centre with Heather Stevens, the Manager and Curator. She was showing me around, explaining the significance of various Indigenous artifacts.
We came to a glass case that held a robe, some slippers, and other ceremonial regalia. I was admiring them when Heather told me, “Those aren t the originals, they are copies.”
I said, “What do you mean?”
She explained that the original Mi'kmaq items were in a museum in Melbourne, Australia. In 1843, a British government official, Samuel Huyghue, had purchased the regalia from a local Mi'kmaq artisan. He took them with him as he traveled, eventually ending up in Australia. When he passed away in 1891, he willed the regalia to a museum in Melbourne.
Despite multiple attempts to get the regalia back, the Australian Museum wasn’t interested in parting with them. The regalia were like new, still in perfect condition. What was on display in Millbrook were reproductions, nicely made, but not the originals.
I asked Heather at the cultural centre if there was any kind of federal government program to help Indigenous communities recover their artifacts. She told me “No, there was no help available.”
Back in Ottawa, I met with my Executive Assistant, Joel Henderson, and told him about the absent Millbrook regalia. We were surprised that there was no structure or program to help Indigenous people repatriate their traditional artifacts, if they were available. Joel then suggested that we draft a Private Member s Bill to ask the government to create a process, a structure, to help small Indigenous communities in Canada reclaim their artifacts.
I thought that was a great idea. Joel got to work drafting the legislation, and together we consulted with First Nations, museums, Indigenous senators, MPs, and cultural institutions across the country. We wanted to ensure the bill was inclusive and reflected a wide range of perspectives, so no one could come back and say they weren’t consulted.
We immediately discovered that it was a bigger issue than we anticipated. Indigenous communities across the country were concerned about their ceremonial objects, regalia, culturally significant items, and even indigenous human remains and totem poles held by museums and institutions around the world. Everyone wanted to have their artifacts repatriated.
Then we learned that our Bill should align with obligations under the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Compliance with UNDRIP would require our Motion to seek to enable the access and/or repatriation of ceremonial objects and human remains in their possession.
By the time we were done drafting Bill C-291, we had made a lot of amendments, but the efforts paid off when the Motion came to a vote.
Just by creating the Private Members Motion C-291, we raised awareness of the issue and got the attention of the Department of Indigenous Affairs. The Motion started quite a buzz in the museum community. Some good buzz, and some negative buzz. Some museums feared that we were trying to extract some of the indigenous artifacts on display at their museums.
Eventually, the Bill C-291, titled the Aboriginal Cultural Property Repatriation Act was ready, and I tabled it in the House of Commons on February 1st, 2018.
When a Private Member’s Bill or motion is introduced in the House of Commons, the sponsoring MP gets about two minutes to explain the purpose and concept of the Motion. So, I told the story of the robe and slippers at the Millbrook Cultural Centre, just as a way of illustrating the issue.
The entire presentation to officially table C-291 took about two minutes. I never imagined those two minutes would have the impact that they did.
A few weeks later, I got a call from the Australian Embassy. Her Excellency Natasha Smith, the Australian Ambassador, wanted to meet. I assumed it was a courtesy call, probably to talk trade, as ambassadors often do. There had been no contact between my office and the embassy about indigenous artifacts. But once we sat down, she said something that stunned me.
She said, “I’ve been in touch with the museum in Melbourne, and they are prepared to repatriate the robe and regalia to Millbrook.”
I said, “Pardon?”
She repeated, “They’re prepared to return the regalia to Millbrook, at no charge.”
I was flabbergasted. I hadn’t even asked for the items back. I was convinced that these treasures would not ever be released from Australia.
Clearly someone at the embassy, or the museum in Australia had been watching the Canadian parliamentary channel. They saw that two-minute speech I gave when I tabled the motion and briefly described the regalia locked away in Melbourne. The ambassador followed up with the museum director, and they agreed to return the artifacts.
I thanked her profusely, but her initiative puzzled me, so I asked her, Why are you doing this?
She said, “Australia wants our indigenous artifacts back too. Australia has a vibrant Indigenous population. Many of our own artifacts are scattered around the world. If we expect others to return them to us, how can we say No to you?”
That moment taught me how deeply meaningful Indigenous artifacts are, not just in Canada, but around the world.
The story didn’t stop there. News of the Motion and the return of the regalia spread globally. It was featured in a Chinese magazine, which is all in Chinese but has a nice photo of me in it. A Dutch publication covered it too. The British Commonwealth Museum Society reached out to our office, asking if their Commonwealth member countries could use our bill as a template for other Commonwealth countries. We were more than happy to say yes.
In addition, our office started to get calls from across the country asking how to return Indigenous artifacts from people who had some fascinating relics in their families for years, but now realized that they should be returned to the First Nations where they were made.
Back to C-291.
Private Members' Bills and Motions only get debated if they are selected through a raffle system. Called the Private Members Business Draw, it is a random process used in the House of Commons of Canada to determine the order in which Members of Parliament (MPs) who are not cabinet ministers or parliamentary secretaries can introduce their own Private Members’ Bills or Motions. The Clerk of the Households the random draw, literally a raffle.
The intent is that every MP is supposed to get a chance to have one Private Members Bill or Motion debated each term. However, the terms most often end before each MP has a chance to debate one Private Member’s Bill or Motion. Also, over the years, more MPs have been added to the House of Commons which reduces the chances of having a Bill successfully drawn. In my seven terms, I think I’ve only been able to debate four private members' bills of my own.
However, shortly after I tabled the bill on Indigenous artifacts, my name was drawn in the raffle. We were now in business. The bill would be debated and voted on.
Millbrook Cultural Center Manager Heather Stevens and I testified before a Parliamentary committee in support of the Motion. We spoke about the cultural importance of repatriation, how these artifacts help young people reconnect with their heritage and learn the traditional practices of their ancestors.
Heather spoke from the heart and every MP on the committee felt her passion. She made a great presentation and answered every question confidently.
The all-party committee was incredibly supportive. They didn’t suggest any changes. The bill returned to Parliament and was passed unanimously. Private Members Bills and Motions very seldom pass, especially unanimously, which includes the votes of cabinet. It was one of those great, worthwhile moments when Parliament really worked the way it should.
It is also a huge credit to my Executive Assistant, Joel Henderson, who ensured that all opinions were considered in the motion. He left no stone unturned in the preparation of this legislation.
That two-minute speech I gave wasn’t meant to trigger the return of the Millbrook Regalia, but it began the process. Once the Australian Ambassador indicated that the regalia could be repatriated to Millbrook, Heather Stevens began a long negotiation with the museum in Australia to ensure the safe return of the priceless artifacts. The regalia came back to Millbrook in June 2023. Heather flew to Australia and, together with another First Nation representative, helped facilitate the return of the artifacts.
An interesting sidebar is that the Australian museum assigned an Australian Indigenous young woman to work with the Millbrook Indigenous young woman, Heather Stevens, to arrange the return of the Regalia. It fascinated me that two Indigenous young women 15,000 km apart, were arranging the return of Indigenous artifacts. How appropriate was that!
The regalia came back complete and in perfect condition and are now proudly on display in Millbrook. There was a great community celebration, the slippers, the robe, and other regalia that had been stored away in Australia forover 130 years were finally home. Millbrook Chief Robert Gloade and Manager Heather Stevens hosted the event.
It all started with a simple visit to the Millbrook Cultural Centre and a conversation with Heather Stevens.
I m grateful to Her Excellency Ambassador Smith for taking a personal interest in this project. I am also grateful to our parliamentary system, which allows all MPs to effect change for the better. It is surprising how many people watch activities in the Canadian House of Commons. It is amazing how great things can happen in that huge room, when you least expect it.
Thanks for reading
Bill
We came to a glass case that held a robe, some slippers, and other ceremonial regalia. I was admiring them when Heather told me, “Those aren t the originals, they are copies.”
I said, “What do you mean?”
She explained that the original Mi'kmaq items were in a museum in Melbourne, Australia. In 1843, a British government official, Samuel Huyghue, had purchased the regalia from a local Mi'kmaq artisan. He took them with him as he traveled, eventually ending up in Australia. When he passed away in 1891, he willed the regalia to a museum in Melbourne.
Despite multiple attempts to get the regalia back, the Australian Museum wasn’t interested in parting with them. The regalia were like new, still in perfect condition. What was on display in Millbrook were reproductions, nicely made, but not the originals.
I asked Heather at the cultural centre if there was any kind of federal government program to help Indigenous communities recover their artifacts. She told me “No, there was no help available.”
Back in Ottawa, I met with my Executive Assistant, Joel Henderson, and told him about the absent Millbrook regalia. We were surprised that there was no structure or program to help Indigenous people repatriate their traditional artifacts, if they were available. Joel then suggested that we draft a Private Member s Bill to ask the government to create a process, a structure, to help small Indigenous communities in Canada reclaim their artifacts.
I thought that was a great idea. Joel got to work drafting the legislation, and together we consulted with First Nations, museums, Indigenous senators, MPs, and cultural institutions across the country. We wanted to ensure the bill was inclusive and reflected a wide range of perspectives, so no one could come back and say they weren’t consulted.
We immediately discovered that it was a bigger issue than we anticipated. Indigenous communities across the country were concerned about their ceremonial objects, regalia, culturally significant items, and even indigenous human remains and totem poles held by museums and institutions around the world. Everyone wanted to have their artifacts repatriated.
Then we learned that our Bill should align with obligations under the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Compliance with UNDRIP would require our Motion to seek to enable the access and/or repatriation of ceremonial objects and human remains in their possession.
By the time we were done drafting Bill C-291, we had made a lot of amendments, but the efforts paid off when the Motion came to a vote.
Just by creating the Private Members Motion C-291, we raised awareness of the issue and got the attention of the Department of Indigenous Affairs. The Motion started quite a buzz in the museum community. Some good buzz, and some negative buzz. Some museums feared that we were trying to extract some of the indigenous artifacts on display at their museums.
Eventually, the Bill C-291, titled the Aboriginal Cultural Property Repatriation Act was ready, and I tabled it in the House of Commons on February 1st, 2018.
When a Private Member’s Bill or motion is introduced in the House of Commons, the sponsoring MP gets about two minutes to explain the purpose and concept of the Motion. So, I told the story of the robe and slippers at the Millbrook Cultural Centre, just as a way of illustrating the issue.
The entire presentation to officially table C-291 took about two minutes. I never imagined those two minutes would have the impact that they did.
A few weeks later, I got a call from the Australian Embassy. Her Excellency Natasha Smith, the Australian Ambassador, wanted to meet. I assumed it was a courtesy call, probably to talk trade, as ambassadors often do. There had been no contact between my office and the embassy about indigenous artifacts. But once we sat down, she said something that stunned me.
She said, “I’ve been in touch with the museum in Melbourne, and they are prepared to repatriate the robe and regalia to Millbrook.”
I said, “Pardon?”
She repeated, “They’re prepared to return the regalia to Millbrook, at no charge.”
I was flabbergasted. I hadn’t even asked for the items back. I was convinced that these treasures would not ever be released from Australia.
Clearly someone at the embassy, or the museum in Australia had been watching the Canadian parliamentary channel. They saw that two-minute speech I gave when I tabled the motion and briefly described the regalia locked away in Melbourne. The ambassador followed up with the museum director, and they agreed to return the artifacts.
I thanked her profusely, but her initiative puzzled me, so I asked her, Why are you doing this?
She said, “Australia wants our indigenous artifacts back too. Australia has a vibrant Indigenous population. Many of our own artifacts are scattered around the world. If we expect others to return them to us, how can we say No to you?”
That moment taught me how deeply meaningful Indigenous artifacts are, not just in Canada, but around the world.
The story didn’t stop there. News of the Motion and the return of the regalia spread globally. It was featured in a Chinese magazine, which is all in Chinese but has a nice photo of me in it. A Dutch publication covered it too. The British Commonwealth Museum Society reached out to our office, asking if their Commonwealth member countries could use our bill as a template for other Commonwealth countries. We were more than happy to say yes.
In addition, our office started to get calls from across the country asking how to return Indigenous artifacts from people who had some fascinating relics in their families for years, but now realized that they should be returned to the First Nations where they were made.
Back to C-291.
Private Members' Bills and Motions only get debated if they are selected through a raffle system. Called the Private Members Business Draw, it is a random process used in the House of Commons of Canada to determine the order in which Members of Parliament (MPs) who are not cabinet ministers or parliamentary secretaries can introduce their own Private Members’ Bills or Motions. The Clerk of the Households the random draw, literally a raffle.
The intent is that every MP is supposed to get a chance to have one Private Members Bill or Motion debated each term. However, the terms most often end before each MP has a chance to debate one Private Member’s Bill or Motion. Also, over the years, more MPs have been added to the House of Commons which reduces the chances of having a Bill successfully drawn. In my seven terms, I think I’ve only been able to debate four private members' bills of my own.
However, shortly after I tabled the bill on Indigenous artifacts, my name was drawn in the raffle. We were now in business. The bill would be debated and voted on.
Millbrook Cultural Center Manager Heather Stevens and I testified before a Parliamentary committee in support of the Motion. We spoke about the cultural importance of repatriation, how these artifacts help young people reconnect with their heritage and learn the traditional practices of their ancestors.
Heather spoke from the heart and every MP on the committee felt her passion. She made a great presentation and answered every question confidently.
The all-party committee was incredibly supportive. They didn’t suggest any changes. The bill returned to Parliament and was passed unanimously. Private Members Bills and Motions very seldom pass, especially unanimously, which includes the votes of cabinet. It was one of those great, worthwhile moments when Parliament really worked the way it should.
It is also a huge credit to my Executive Assistant, Joel Henderson, who ensured that all opinions were considered in the motion. He left no stone unturned in the preparation of this legislation.
That two-minute speech I gave wasn’t meant to trigger the return of the Millbrook Regalia, but it began the process. Once the Australian Ambassador indicated that the regalia could be repatriated to Millbrook, Heather Stevens began a long negotiation with the museum in Australia to ensure the safe return of the priceless artifacts. The regalia came back to Millbrook in June 2023. Heather flew to Australia and, together with another First Nation representative, helped facilitate the return of the artifacts.
An interesting sidebar is that the Australian museum assigned an Australian Indigenous young woman to work with the Millbrook Indigenous young woman, Heather Stevens, to arrange the return of the Regalia. It fascinated me that two Indigenous young women 15,000 km apart, were arranging the return of Indigenous artifacts. How appropriate was that!
The regalia came back complete and in perfect condition and are now proudly on display in Millbrook. There was a great community celebration, the slippers, the robe, and other regalia that had been stored away in Australia forover 130 years were finally home. Millbrook Chief Robert Gloade and Manager Heather Stevens hosted the event.
It all started with a simple visit to the Millbrook Cultural Centre and a conversation with Heather Stevens.
I m grateful to Her Excellency Ambassador Smith for taking a personal interest in this project. I am also grateful to our parliamentary system, which allows all MPs to effect change for the better. It is surprising how many people watch activities in the Canadian House of Commons. It is amazing how great things can happen in that huge room, when you least expect it.
Thanks for reading
Bill