Federal authorities declined to comment on the possible revocation of the Order of Canada for Buffy Sainte-Marie due to the revelation of her allegedly not being a Canadian.According to Blacklock’s Reporter, to be full members of the Order of Canada, individuals must meet the requirement of being Canadian citizens as per a 1967 cabinet order.“We are aware of the media reports,” said Natalie Babin Dufresne, spokesperson for Rideau Hall. “The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General does not comment on the possibility of honour terminations.”Sainte-Marie was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1997, recognizing her as a prominent celebrity born in Saskatchewan.“Born of Cree parents on the Piapot Reserve in Saskatchewan, she is a musician of international stature, a Native rights activist,” said the citation. At the time, Rideau Hall praised Sainte-Marie for promoting “a sense of identity and self-esteem in schoolchildren through the study of Aboriginal culture.”Documents revealed by CBC-TV's Fifth Estate and indigenous researchers on Friday showed Sainte-Marie was not indigenous nor Canadian but was actually an Italian-American named Beverley Santamaria. She was born on February 20 1941, in Stoneham, Massachusetts and her father was a local electrician.Records showed the Santamaria family consistently denied that Beverley had indigenous heritage or that she was adopted.In her statement on October 26, Sainte-Marie once again stated that she has "indigenous ancestry," which she claimed was undocumented “as was common for indigenous children born in the 1940s.”She did not provide information about her Massachusetts birth certificate but mentioned her childhood was mysterious.“I have struggled to answer questions about who I am,” wrote Sainte-Marie. “For a long time, I tried to discover information about my background. Through that research, what became clear and what I’ve always been honest about is I don’t know where I’m from or who my birth parents are and I will never know.”The Order of Canada was established in 1967 through a cabinet decree with the specific purpose of honouring Canadian citizens and, as then-Prime Minister Lester Pearson stated in Parliament at the time, to help "strengthen national pride."“There is a need in Canada for some official Canadian method of recognizing outstanding merit,” said Pearson. “Any such system must be distinctly Canadian.” The Order of Canada “will help to fill a need in our national life and will enable proper recognition to be given by Canada to its own citizens,” said Pearson.The constitution of the Order of Canada states eligibility is limited to Canadian citizens. “A person who is not a Canadian citizen may be appointed as an honorary member,” it said. Since 1967, only 24 honorary members have been appointed to the Order of Canada. This list includes notable figures such as Nelson Mandela, the Aga Khan and Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations.The Order of Canada replaced the Canada Medal, which was introduced in 1943. Five Canada Medals were created but never actually given out and described as “numismatic curios” in the Commons in 1967.
Federal authorities declined to comment on the possible revocation of the Order of Canada for Buffy Sainte-Marie due to the revelation of her allegedly not being a Canadian.According to Blacklock’s Reporter, to be full members of the Order of Canada, individuals must meet the requirement of being Canadian citizens as per a 1967 cabinet order.“We are aware of the media reports,” said Natalie Babin Dufresne, spokesperson for Rideau Hall. “The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General does not comment on the possibility of honour terminations.”Sainte-Marie was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1997, recognizing her as a prominent celebrity born in Saskatchewan.“Born of Cree parents on the Piapot Reserve in Saskatchewan, she is a musician of international stature, a Native rights activist,” said the citation. At the time, Rideau Hall praised Sainte-Marie for promoting “a sense of identity and self-esteem in schoolchildren through the study of Aboriginal culture.”Documents revealed by CBC-TV's Fifth Estate and indigenous researchers on Friday showed Sainte-Marie was not indigenous nor Canadian but was actually an Italian-American named Beverley Santamaria. She was born on February 20 1941, in Stoneham, Massachusetts and her father was a local electrician.Records showed the Santamaria family consistently denied that Beverley had indigenous heritage or that she was adopted.In her statement on October 26, Sainte-Marie once again stated that she has "indigenous ancestry," which she claimed was undocumented “as was common for indigenous children born in the 1940s.”She did not provide information about her Massachusetts birth certificate but mentioned her childhood was mysterious.“I have struggled to answer questions about who I am,” wrote Sainte-Marie. “For a long time, I tried to discover information about my background. Through that research, what became clear and what I’ve always been honest about is I don’t know where I’m from or who my birth parents are and I will never know.”The Order of Canada was established in 1967 through a cabinet decree with the specific purpose of honouring Canadian citizens and, as then-Prime Minister Lester Pearson stated in Parliament at the time, to help "strengthen national pride."“There is a need in Canada for some official Canadian method of recognizing outstanding merit,” said Pearson. “Any such system must be distinctly Canadian.” The Order of Canada “will help to fill a need in our national life and will enable proper recognition to be given by Canada to its own citizens,” said Pearson.The constitution of the Order of Canada states eligibility is limited to Canadian citizens. “A person who is not a Canadian citizen may be appointed as an honorary member,” it said. Since 1967, only 24 honorary members have been appointed to the Order of Canada. This list includes notable figures such as Nelson Mandela, the Aga Khan and Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations.The Order of Canada replaced the Canada Medal, which was introduced in 1943. Five Canada Medals were created but never actually given out and described as “numismatic curios” in the Commons in 1967.
