Buffy Sainte-Marie's Order of Canada terminated by Governor General
Notice made one year after CBC's The 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.
Sainte-Marie is only the ninth person to be expelled from the Order of Canada in its more than 50-year history, the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General confirmed.
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 says 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 says is corroborated by Sainte-Marie's marriage certificate, a life insurance policy and the United States census.
In November 2023, Sainte-Marie said the story by CBC's The Fifth Estate was full of mistakes and omissions. At the 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, saying the evidence was fairly presented.
The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General said in a statement on Friday it does not comment on the specifics of termination cases.
However, conviction for a criminal offence and conduct that may undermine the integrity of the order are reasons the Advisory Council for the Order of Canada may recommend the termination of an appointment, according to its policy.
Any Canadian can file a request to drop someone from the Order of Canada. If the deputy secretary of honours at Rideau Hall concludes that there may be reasonable grounds for revoking the honour, the complaint is sent to the advisory council, which makes a recommendation to the Governor General. The process can take more than a year.
CBC News has contacted Sainte-Marie's representatives for comment.
With files from Geoff Leo, Roxanna Woloshyn and Linda Guerriero, Ashley Burke, The Canadian Press