Buffy Sainte-Marie has been stripped of her Canadian music awards.
Both the Juno Awards and the Polaris Music Prize announced Friday they were rescinding the honours Sainte-Marie had received over the years, after the 84-year-old musician returned her Order of Canada earlier this week, saying she is an American citizen and had “made it completely clear” she is not Canadian.
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), which runs the Junos, said it made the decision in accordance with its eligibility requirements, following Sainte-Marie’s statements about not being Canadian.
Sainte-Marie had collected seven Juno Awards over the years.
“This decision is not a reflection of Ms. Sainte-Marie’s artistic contributions but ensures that CARAS celebrates and honours artists who meet the criteria. While this decision aligns with longstanding criteria, we acknowledge the impact it may have,” CARAS said in its statement.
“Buffy Sainte-Marie has been a strong supporter and advocate for Canadian music, and we acknowledge the past contributions she has made to our organization. However, CARAS’ mandate is to educate, develop, celebrate, and honour Canadian artists.”
Polaris gave the same reason, saying that based on Sainte-Marie’s statement, she “does not meet Polaris Music Prize’s rules and regulations.”
Sainte-Marie had won the 2015 Polaris Music Prize for the album Power In The Blood, which came with a $50,000 cash prize, and received a Polaris Heritage Prize designation in 2020 for her 1964 album It’s My Way.
Rideau Hall terminated Sainte-Marie’s Order of Canada earlier this year, but did not give a reason for doing so.
This comes after an October 2023 CBC investigation that questioned Sainte-Marie’s claims to Indigenous ancestry, revealing a birth certificate that indicated she was born in 1941 in Massachusetts.
After returning the Order of Canada, the singer-songwriter told The Canadian Press in a statement Tuesday that she is an American citizen and holds a U.S. passport, but she was adopted as a young adult by a Cree family in Saskatchewan.
She said she had “made it completely clear” she was not Canadian to Rideau Hall.
In the statement, Sainte-Marie also expressed “love and gratitude to Canada” and said she was “overwhelmingly grateful that I’ve been able to make my contribution.”