Buffy Sainte-Marie has been stripped of her Canadian music awards.
Each the Juno Awards and the Polaris Music Prize introduced Friday they have been rescinding the honours Sainte-Marie had obtained through 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 fully clear” she shouldn’t be Canadian.
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), which runs the Junos, said it made the decision in accordance with its eligibility necessities, following Sainte-Marie’s statements about not being Canadian.
Sainte-Marie had collected seven Juno Awards through the years.
“This resolution shouldn’t be a mirrored image of Ms. Sainte-Marie’s creative contributions however ensures that CARAS celebrates and honours artists who meet the standards. Whereas this resolution aligns with longstanding standards, we acknowledge the influence it might have,” CARAS mentioned in its assertion.
“Buffy Sainte-Marie has been a powerful supporter and advocate for Canadian music, and we acknowledge the previous contributions she has made to our group. Nevertheless, CARAS’ mandate is to teach, develop, rejoice, and honour Canadian artists.”
Polaris gave the identical purpose, saying that based mostly on Sainte-Marie’s assertion, she “doesn’t meet Polaris Music Prize’s guidelines and rules.”
Sainte-Marie had received the 2015 Polaris Music Prize for the album Energy In The Blood, which got here with a $50,000 money prize, and obtained a Polaris Heritage Prize designation in 2020 for her 1964 album It is My Manner.
Rideau Corridor terminated Sainte-Marie’s Order of Canada earlier this yr, however didn’t give a purpose for doing so.
This comes after an October 2023 CBC investigation that questioned Sainte-Marie’s claims to Indigenous ancestry, revealing a start certificates that indicated she was born in 1941 in Massachusetts.
After returning the Order of Canada, the singer-songwriter advised The Canadian Press in a press release Tuesday that she is an American citizen and holds a U.S. passport, however she was adopted as a younger grownup by a Cree household in Saskatchewan.
She mentioned she had “made it fully clear” she was not Canadian to Rideau Corridor.
Within the assertion, Sainte-Marie additionally expressed “love and gratitude to Canada” and mentioned she was “overwhelmingly grateful that I have been in a position to make my contribution.”
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