Buffy Sainte-Marie stripped of Juno, Polaris music awards

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 career Juno Awards.

CARAS will also revoke her 1994 induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

"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 long-standing 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's 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.

A Polaris spokesperson told CBC in an email: "At this time, Polaris will not be taking action to reclaim the reward money."

Toronto-based musician Marc Meriläinen, who belongs to the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation in Ontario, applauded the decisions.

"Especially in the Indigenous community, this has been a long time coming," he said.

Meriläinen, who had petitioned CARAS to rescind the awards, said he hopes the move dissuades others from feigning Indigenous identities.

He said any money Sainte-Marie has received from the honours should be returned and given to "authentic Indigenous artists."

"I think we're all hoping that this tries to restore trust in representation of true Indigenous artists in the Canadian music industry," he said.

CBC report questioned singer's ancestry claims

Sainte-Marie's profile was scrubbed out of an exhibit at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg in December, and Rideau Hall terminated her Order of Canada earlier this year, but did not give a reason for doing so.

This comes after an October 2023 investigation by the CBC's Fifth Estate 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.

WATCH | Reaction to CBC's investigation: 

Indigenous communities react to Buffy Sainte-Marie revelations

1 year ago

Duration 1:42

Indigenous communities have been processing the findings of a CBC Fifth Estate investigation about music icon Buffy Sainte-Marie. The singer's claims to Indigenous ancestry have been called into question by genealogical documentation, historical research and personal accounts.

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."

Toronto-based music journalist Karen Bliss said the rescinding of the awards was "long overdue," but added that it seems clear CARAS and Polaris are only passing judgment on whether Sainte-Marie is Canadian — and not on whether she is Indigenous.

Since the early days of her career in the 1960s, Sainte-Marie has claimed to be a Cree woman, born on the Piapot First Nation in Saskatchewan and adopted by a Massachusetts couple.

She has said she was reunited with her Piapot relatives as a young adult and adopted into the community.

CBC's reporting revealed documentation and conversations with family members that contradict this narrative.

Sainte-Marie has said she has "lived with uncertainty" about her parentage and claimed the investigation constructed a "false narrative" about her life.

CBC has reached out to a representative of Sainte-Marie for comment.