Dalhousie University in Halifax has made the decision to revoke the honorary degree bestowed upon Buffy Sainte-Marie in 2018 following concerns raised by a Mi’kmaw student about the implications of maintaining the honor. This move comes after a CBC News investigation more than two years ago delved into Sainte-Marie’s assertions regarding her Indigenous heritage. The investigation uncovered a birth certificate indicating her birth in Massachusetts to Italian-American parents, contradicting previous reports that recognized her as Algonquin, Mi’kmaw, and later Cree.
Sainte-Marie, in a statement to The Canadian Press last year, clarified that she is an American citizen, holding a U.S. passport, and was adopted by a Cree family in Saskatchewan during her youth. Despite attempts to reach out to Sainte-Marie’s management for comment, there was no response at the time of publication.
The request to revoke the honorary degree was initiated by Aaron Prosper, a Mi’kmaw medical student from Eskasoni First Nation in Nova Scotia, who brought the matter before the university’s senate committee in February. Prosper highlighted the CBC investigation, previous instances of honorary degree revocations at other institutions, and the termination of Sainte-Marie’s Order of Canada appointment in his plea.
In an email to the senate committee, Prosper expressed a range of emotions triggered by the revelations about Sainte-Marie’s identity claims, including sadness, betrayal, and regret for not advocating for the recognition of a more locally rooted Indigenous individual. Prosper, who served on Dalhousie’s honorary degrees committee during his tenure as student union president, clarified that he was not involved in the decision to confer the degree upon Sainte-Marie.
Dalhousie University confirmed the revocation of the honorary degree in December, following established criteria and procedures of the Senate Honorary Degrees Committee, without providing specific details. This marks the first instance of Dalhousie revoking an honorary degree, as affirmed by the university in response to inquiries from CBC News.
Prosper, while understanding the initial decision to grant the degree, questioned why the onus of explaining the revocation now rests on Indigenous individuals like himself, in the absence of a detailed explanation from the university. He emphasized that ultimately, it was Dalhousie’s decision to confer the honorary degree upon Sainte-Marie.