Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Order of Canada terminated by governor general

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OTTAWA — Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Order of Canada has been terminated, with history of her ever having been appointed scrubbed online.

Notice was posted on the government’s official publication late Friday that Governor General Mary Simon had cancelled Sainte-Marie’s Order of Canada through an order she signed in early January.

Friday’s posting was signed by the secretary general of the Order of Canada.

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No reason was listed for Sainte-Marie’s termination. In a statement, the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General said it does not comment on the specifics of termination cases, but added that an advisory council makes recommendations to the viceregal when it comes to both appointments and terminations.

The termination comes after a 2023 CBC News investigation raised serious doubts about her claims to Indigenous identity. The singer-songwriter, now in her 80s, had long made Indigenous identity a central feature of her music and activism.

While she initially defended herself against questions of her Cree heritage, Sainte-Marie’s official website eventually removed reference to her being born on Piapot First Nation, located outside of Regina.

The revelations sent shock through Indigenous communities across Canada and led to some calling for her to be stripped of awards.

Sainte-Marie, who accumulated many accolades and prestigious honours over her decades as a musician, was awarded the Order of Canada, long seen as one of the highest honours an individual in Canada could receive, back in 1997.

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In 2019, she was honoured with a promotion.

As of late Friday, history of Saint-Marie ever having been an Order of Canada recipient had been removed from the Governor General of Canada’s website.

An archived version of Sainte-Marie’s biography read that she had been “born of Cree parents on the Piapot reserve in Saskatchewan” and was an internationally celebrated musician and “a Native rights activist.”

A response from a media representative for Sainte-Marie has not yet been returned. On her website, Sainte-Marie was still listed as an “officer of the Order of Canada” and “companion of the Order of Canada.” 

She announced she was retiring from performing live in August 2023.

National Post

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