People & Culture
A look inside the Hudson’s Bay Company Royal Charter, now returning to public spotlight, and its enduring role in Canada’s colonial past and Indigenous displacement
In 2020, the Hudson’s Bay Company marked its 350th anniversary. At this time, podcast host David McGuffin headed deep into the HBC vault with Amelia Fay, curator of the HBC Collection at the Manitoba Museum. Together, they unpacked the story and the symbolism of the Royal Charter granted by King Charles II in 1670, a document that established what was then known as “The Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading into Hudson’s Bay.”
In 2020, the Hudson’s Bay Company marked its 350th anniversary. At this time, podcast host David McGuffin headed deep into the HBC vault with Amelia Fay, curator of the HBC Collection at the Manitoba Museum. Together, they unpacked the story and the symbolism of the Royal Charter granted by King Charles II in 1670, a document that established what was then known as “The Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading into Hudson’s Bay.”
Fay describes the charter in vivid detail, from its shimmering vellum pages to its exceptional state of preservation, and explains how this corporate decree laid out the governance structures and sweeping territorial claims that would shape the future of northern North America. Their conversation explores the charter’s complex legacy: how it empowered the HBC to act as a government, shaped settlement and trade across a vast section of the continent and how it is inseparable from the Doctrine of Discovery and the harmful concept of terra nullius, both of which displaced and ignored the sovereignty of Indigenous nations.
With the charter now back in the public spotlight through its historic sale, this episode offers timely context on why the document remains both foundational and deeply problematic, and why understanding its legacy is essential to understanding Canada today.
People & Culture
For community members in Waskaganish, Que., the place where Cree traders established first contact with company employees, it’s just a chapter in a longer history
History
Written on animal skin 350 years ago, the Royal Charter that created the Hudson’s Bay Company is both an incredible and problematic document
History
A look back at the early years of the 350-year-old institution that once claimed a vast portion of the globe
People & Culture
Proclaimed in 1982 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of Canada, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is intended to ensure that all Canadians can live a life without discrimination of any kind. On the 40th anniversary of its proclamation, Mark Bourrie asks whether the goals of the Charter have been met when it comes to Indigenous people living in Canada.