Celebrated singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie has been stripped of the Order of Canada, one of the nation's highest civilian honors, following a 2023 investigation into her claimed Indigenous heritage. The investigation, conducted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) News, questioned Sainte-Marie's assertion that she was born in the Piapot First Nation in Saskatchewan and later adopted. Instead, public records, including her birth certificate, indicate she was born Beverly Jean Santamaria in Massachusetts to parents of Italian and English descent.

Sainte-Marie has vehemently denied the CBC's findings, characterizing the investigation as a personal attack based on fabricated information from an abuser and estranged family members. She has also argued that the creation of birth certificates by Western governments for adopted Indigenous children was a common practice. Despite her protests, the Canadian government officially announced the termination of her Order of Canada appointment in the Canada Gazette. Sainte-Marie received the honor in 1997.

The Order of Canada is considered the highest honor a civilian can achieve in Canada. Sainte-Marie is also recognized as the first Indigenous person to win an Oscar for Best Original Song, which she received for co-writing "Up Where We Belong" from the 1982 film "An Officer and a Gentleman." In a statement following the 2023 investigation, Sainte-Marie maintained that Indigenous identity is about community and culture, not solely lineage or official records.

This incident occurs amid renewed debate about the Washington Redskins team name, with the Native American Guardians Association arguing the name is not offensive.