TORONTO — Buffy Sainte-Marie lost her Juno awards, Polaris Music Prize and several Hall of Fame inductions in a matter of hours on Friday — a continued unwinding of her legacy as arts organizations react to the musician saying she is not a Canadian citizen.
The board of directors at Canada's Walk of Fame issued a statement Friday evening saying the organization has "made the difficult decision to revoke Buffy Sainte-Marie’s 1998 induction."
A representative told The Canadian Press it is undecided what happens to the singer-songwriter's maple leaf-shaped star on the sidewalk outside Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre.
In a separate announcement, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame said organizers have concluded that Sainte-Marie no longer qualifies for her two inductions. She's in the Hall of Fame as a songwriter with a separate entry for her war protest song "Universal Soldier."
"While Buffy Sainte-Marie’s songwriting achievements are exemplary, it has come to our attention that she does not meet the CSHF’s citizenship requirements and therefore does not qualify for induction," it said.
Other organizations also announced they are taking back Sainte-Marie's accolades after she confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that she's an American citizen and holds a U.S. passport, but was adopted as a young adult by a Cree family in Saskatchewan.
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences says it will revoke her five Juno wins and her 2017 humanitarian award after a review of its eligibility requirements.
She will also no longer be part of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, established by the academy.
"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," the Junos organizers said in an announcement Friday.
"However, CARAS’ mandate is to educate, develop, celebrate, and honour Canadian artists."
Leaders at the Polaris Music Prize said they rescinded two awards, including Sainte-Marie's win of the top prize for her 2015 record "Power in the Blood" which came with $50,000 in cash.
"At this time, Polaris will not be taking action to reclaim the reward money," Polaris executive director Amber Moyle said in a statement to The Canadian Press.
Organizers also revoked the 2020 Polaris heritage prize they gave Sainte-Marie's 1964 debut album "It's My Way," a publicly voted honour that recognizes outstanding Canadian albums released before the creation of the Polaris prize.
Explaining their reason, Polaris cited Sainte-Marie's statement on Tuesday to The Canadian Press where she said she never concealed her U.S. citizenship but has questioned her origins and explored the "possibility" she was born in Canada.
Over the years, Sainte-Marie has described herself as an Indigenous person who was adopted by a Cree family in Saskatchewan.
Moyle, who was not at the helm of the organization in 2015, said Polaris did not ask for confirmation of Sainte-Marie's citizenship at the time.
"Processes are in place if there is ever cause for clarification, but these were not activated for this nomination," Moyle said of the "Power in the Blood" win.
In its decision to pull Sainte-Marie's prizes, the Polaris organization added: "We understand that not all Indigenous people have access to government-issued paperwork, and we acknowledge that this does not diminish their identity or connection to their communities and should not impact their ability to be nominated for the Polaris Music Prize."
Further fallout Friday came from Rideau Hall where a representative said Sainte-Marie pre-emptively returned her Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards medallion and is no longer a laureate.
Sainte-Marie's Order of Canada was terminated in January, which also led to the cancellation of her Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee medal, awarded in 2002 and the Diamond Jubilee medal from 2012.
However, Sainte-Marie will keep the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal given to her in 1977. Marilyne Guèvremont, a representative for the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General, said that award was not based on Sainte-Marie's Order of Canada membership.
Rideau Hall has declined to give a reason for their decisions, saying they do not comment on the specifics of termination cases.
As Sainte-Marie's various honours were revoked, it was unclear how many of the organizations vetted her citizenship status.
The Junos declined to explain how it was decided that Sainte-Marie qualified for its awards, which include wins for best music of Aboriginal Canada recording, Aboriginal album of the year, Indigenous music album of the year, Aboriginal recording of the year and contemporary roots album of the year.
Sainte-Marie told The Canadian Press in a statement Tuesday that she “made it completely clear” to Rideau Hall that she was a U.S. citizen but was adopted as a young adult by a Cree family in Saskatchewan.
The toppling of the singer's reputation in Canada as one of the foremost Indigenous voices comes more than a year after a CBC News investigation questioned Sainte-Marie's Indigenous heritage.
Sainte-Marie rose to fame as a folk performer in Toronto's Yorkville music scene, later winning an Oscar as one of the songwriters on "Up Where We Belong," the ballad from the 1982 film "An Officer and a Gentleman."
All the while, she wove activism into her music and appearances and became a prominent Indigenous advocate on both sides of the border.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 7, 2025.
David Friend, The Canadian Press
