Buffy Sainte-Marie's Appointment to Order of Canada Terminated
The government's official publication, posted Friday, stated that Governor General Mary Simon had terminated singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie's appointment to the Order of Canada on January 3.
A reason for the termination was not provided. "The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General does not comment on the specifics of termination cases," the Governor General's office informed the Star in an emailed statement.
The Star reached out to Sainte-Marie via her management office and publicist but did not receive an immediate response.
This termination follows a CBC investigation that questioned Sainte-Marie's claims of Indigenous heritage. Sainte-Marie's Indigenous culture has been a significant aspect of her identity since her rise to fame in the 1960s, earning her multiple awards, including several Junos and the Polaris Music Prize in 2015.
CBC reported in October 2023 that it discovered Sainte-Marie's birth certificate, which indicates she was born in 1941 in Massachusetts. The document categorizes her and her parents as white and includes a signature from an attending physician. This information aligns with her marriage certificate, a life insurance policy, and U.S. census records. Family members in the U.S., including Sainte-Marie's younger sister, confirmed to CBC that she was not adopted and lacks Indigenous ancestry.
In November 2023, Sainte-Marie refuted the claims, asserting that she has never misrepresented her identity. She labelled the CBC report as flawed, describing it as an attack on her character, life, and legacy.
"Being an 'Indian' has little to do with sperm tracking and colonial record keeping: it has to do with community, culture, knowledge, teachings, who claims you, who you love, who loves you and who's your family," Sainte-Marie, 82, expressed in a written statement to The Canadian Press.
Sainte-Marie conveyed that she "will not stoop to respond to every false allegation," but noted that it is common for birth certificates to be "created" after Indigenous children were adopted or removed from their families. She has used a birth certificate throughout her life, which is the only documentation she possesses and has never known if it is genuine.
With files from The Canadian Press
