Buffy Sainte-Marie's Order of Canada has been terminated. The singer-songwriter was appointed back in 1997, and a reason has not been given for the stripping of the honor.
On Friday (Feb. 7), the notice was posted on the government’s official publication that Governor General Mary Simon cancelled Sainte-Marie’s Order of Canada. The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General said it does not comment on the specifics of termination cases.
In 2023, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s documentary series The Fifth Estate launched an investigation into her Native identity and released an episode calling it into question. She responded with a statement about how the CBC "forced me to relive and defend my experience as a survivor of sexual abuse which I endured at the hands of my brother, as well as another family member — whom I have never publicly named," she said in a video. She further explained:
I have always struggled to answer questions about who I am. For a long time, I tried to discover information about my background. Through that research what became clear, and what I’ve always been honest about, is that I don’t know where I’m from or who my birth parents were, and I will never know. Which is why, to be questioned in this way today is painful, both for me, and for my two families I love so dearly.
My Indigenous identity is rooted in a deep connection to a community which has had a profound role in shaping my life and my work. For my entire life, I have championed Indigenous, and Native American causes when nobody else would, or had the platform to do so. I am proud to have been able to speak up for Indigenous issues. I have always tried to bridge gaps between communities and educate people to live in love and kindness.
