Buffy Sainte-Marie has been stripped of her Order of Canada appointment. First reported in the National Post [1]
If you are new to the story, for more context, I recommend watching the original 2023 CBC investigation by The Fifth Estate [2]
And counterbalancing that by reading Michelle Cyca's article "What's the Point of 'Pretendian' Investiations?" [3]
[1] https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/buffy-sainte-marie-order-of-canada
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMsqCWNCUc4
Buffy Sainte-Marie has now also been stripped of her Polaris Music Prize, her five Juno Awards, and her induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Sainte-Marie recently confirmed that she is an American citizen, not a Canadian citizen. Questions remain around her Indigenous identity. Apparently, the awards have been stripped because she doesn't meet eligibility requirements.
Earlier this week, Buffy Sainte-Marie returned her Order of Canada: “It was very lovely to host the medals for awhile, but I return them with a good heart,” she says.
She stated that she is an American Citizen, and has always "made it completely clear" to the federal government she was not Canadian.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/cp-buffy-returns-order-of-canada-1.7474435
In her first statement since she was stripped of the award, the singer-songwriter says that she's an American citizen and holds a U.S. passport, but was adopted as a young adult by a Cree family in Saskatchewan.
Philip Kiff
