Bill C-290: An Act to amend the Criminal Code (theft of property of cultural or religious significance)

This bill primarily affects individuals and organizations rather than typical businesses, but it does have implications for antique dealers, art traders, auction houses, and pawn shops across all provinces who may handle culturally or religiously significant objects. A shop owner buying and reselling religious artifacts, Indigenous cultural items, or heritage objects needs to be more careful about verifying the provenance and legal ownership of goods they take in — what was previously treated as ordinary stolen property could now carry much heavier criminal exposure. Museums, galleries, and estate sale operators dealing in culturally significant items should also review their acquisition practices. The risk is greatest for smaller operators who may not have formal provenance-checking processes in place.