GATINEAU, QC, Nov. 4, 2026 /CNW/ -- The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) Royal Charter Consortium is announcing the launch of a nationwide dialogue to gather perspectives from people throughout Canada on the lasting impacts of the 1670 HBC Royal Charter. This engagement process will inform the Consortium's approach to promoting access, dialogue and learning about this critically important historical document.

In 1670, King Charles II issued the HBC Royal Charter, granting exclusive land, trading and exploration rights over the entire Hudson Bay watershed to the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading into Hudson Bay (the Hudson's Bay Company). The Royal Charter has played a pivotal role in Canadian history, having a profound and lasting impact on First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities. 

The Consortium is made up of four public institutions including the Canadian Museum of History, the Manitoba Museum, the Archives of Manitoba, and the Royal Ontario Museum. The Charter was jointly acquired in 2025 by The Weston Family and David Thompson and gifted to the Consortium to steward on behalf of Canadians. The Desmarais Family and Power Corporation of Canada, along with The Hennick Family Foundation, have committed additional support to the Consortium members for their work related to the Charter. The Consortium is committed to fulfilling the intentions of the gift and ensuring there is meaningful engagement with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities as well as the broader public in this process.

Following a procurement process, a joint proposal led by First Peoples Group with support from Nanos Research and Lord Cultural Resources was selected. They will conduct a three-phase national dialogue. All three firms have extensive expertise and experience in facilitating significant national engagement processes.

The first phase of the engagement process will focus on Indigenous engagement and will be designed and implemented by First Peoples Group, a consulting firm fully owned, staffed, operated and guided by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit community members. Hosted by First Peoples Group in Winnipeg, Timmins, Yellowknife, Vancouver and Iqaluit, in-person engagements with leaders, scholars, Elders, youth and artists will begin in November 2026. The perspectives shared in these meetings will be supplemented by a later series of virtual gatherings centring First Nations, Métis, and Inuit women, girls, and gender-diverse community members, academics, and urban Indigenous communities.

The next phase of engagement will include a national survey, inviting all people in Canada to participate.

The results of this engagement process will form the basis of a Sharing Framework. The Framework will reflect the perspectives and priorities identified through the national engagement alongside the conservation requirements of the Charter to establish responsible approaches to its care, stewardship, public access, interpretation, and display.

"We are proud to be launching this national dialogue on the impacts and significance of the Charter. This first phase is an important step in the process of engaging with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit leaders and communities about how we tell the story about this document in meaningful ways today. We are committed to ensuring this process is thoughtful, inclusive and informed by a wide range of perspectives," said the Consortium Steering Committee.

The Manitoba Museum will be the first member of the Consortium to display the Royal Charter in late 2027. In the future, the Charter will also be exhibited at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec, and the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. Additional information on how and when the Royal Charter will be publicly accessible will be announced following the formal engagement process.

About the HBC Royal Charter Consortium

Archives of Manitoba is Manitoba's provincial archives and has been the home of the UNESCO-designated Hudson's Bay Company Archives (HBCA) since 1974. The Archives were donated to the Province of Manitoba in 1994, and Archives of Manitoba was designated as HBC's official repository. HBCA consists of over 3,500 linear metres of archival records in various media dating from 1670 to 2025. HBC's archives document the history of colonialism in Canada and, as such, HBCA has a vital role in engaging with Indigenous communities and in continuing to improve the accessibility of the archives.

Manitoba Museum is the province's largest centre for heritage and science learning, showcasing the rich human and natural histories of the region. The Museum was the recipient of a 'gift to the nation' in 1994, when the HBC Museum Collection, comprising nearly 28,000 Hudson's Bay Company artifacts and belongings, was donated to them for the benefit of all Canadians.  

Canadian Museum of History is Canada's national museum of history dedicated to enhancing Canadians' knowledge, understanding and appreciation of events, experiences, people and objects that reflect and have shaped Canada's history and identity, with a commitment and responsibility to engage with Indigenous communities and advance dialogue and reconciliation.

Royal Ontario Museum is Canada's largest and most visited museum, and the custodian of more than 400,000 artifacts, artworks and belongings related to the development, history and heritage of Canada and the role of Indigenous Peoples on this land, with the mission of helping people to understand the past, make sense of the present, and shape a shared future. 

SOURCE Canadian Museum of History