Buffy Sainte-Marie's Order of Canada Terminated After Fifth Estate Investigation
Buffy Sainte-Marie's Order of Canada has been terminated, nearly three decades after she was appointed in 1997.
The federal government's official publication posted the notice Friday evening, indicating that Governor General Mary Simon ordered the termination of Sainte-Marie's appointment on Jan. 3.
The National Post first published the story.
The announcement comes more than a year after an investigation from CBC's The Fifth Estate reported that her claims of Indigenous ancestry were inconsistent with publicly available documents.
The investigation, from Oct. 27, 2023, found Sainte-Marie's birth certificate, which states she was born in 1941 in Massachusetts. The document lists the baby and parents as white and includes a signature of an attending physician — information CBC claims is corroborated by Sainte-Marie's marriage certificate, a life insurance policy, and the United States census.
In November 2023, Sainte-Marie stated that the story by CBC's The Fifth Estate was full of mistakes and omissions. At that time, in her first public statement since it was published, Sainte-Marie called the story 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," said Sainte-Marie, in a written statement to The Canadian Press.
Chuck Thompson, a CBC spokesperson, defended the broadcaster and the story, stating that the evidence was fairly presented.
CBC News has contacted Sainte-Marie's representatives for comment.
