Dalhousie University, located in Halifax, has decided to revoke the honorary degree bestowed upon Buffy Sainte-Marie in 2018 after concerns were raised by a Mi’kmaw student regarding the implications of upholding this recognition. This action follows a comprehensive investigation conducted by CBC News over two years ago, which scrutinized Sainte-Marie’s claims to Indigenous heritage.
The investigation revealed discrepancies, including a birth certificate indicating Sainte-Marie was born in Massachusetts to Italian-American parents, contrary to previous assertions identifying her as Algonquin, Mi’kmaw, and later Cree. Sainte-Marie, as confirmed in a statement to The Canadian Press last year, clarified that she is an American citizen holding a U.S. passport and was adopted into a Cree family in Saskatchewan during her youth.
Mi’kmaw medical student Aaron Prosper, hailing from Eskasoni First Nation in Nova Scotia, petitioned Dalhousie University’s senate committee in February to retract the honorary degree conferred upon Sainte-Marie. Around the same period, Sainte-Marie’s appointment to the Order of Canada was also terminated. Prosper’s request was supported by referencing the CBC investigation, previous instances of revoked honorary degrees at other institutions, and the cancellation of Sainte-Marie’s Order of Canada designation.
In an email to the senate committee, Prosper expressed a mix of emotions triggered by the revelations about Sainte-Marie’s identity claims, encompassing sadness, betrayal, and a sense of missed advocacy for local Indigenous figures deserving of recognition. Despite being a member of Dalhousie’s honorary degrees committee during his tenure as student union president from 2018-2019, Prosper was not directly involved in the decision to confer the degree upon Sainte-Marie.
Dalhousie University confirmed the revocation of Sainte-Marie’s honorary degree in December, following a formal request and in adherence to the Senate Honorary Degrees Committee’s guidelines. However, the university declined to provide specific details regarding this decision. Notably, this marks the first instance where Dalhousie has rescinded an honorary degree.
Prosper, while acknowledging Dalhousie’s initial decision to award the degree, raised questions about the responsibility falling on Indigenous individuals like himself to justify the revocation in the absence of a comprehensive explanation from the university. He emphasized that the decision to grant Sainte-Marie the honorary degree was initiated by Dalhousie and not by the Indigenous community.
Moving forward, Dalhousie University’s decision to revoke Buffy Sainte-Marie’s honorary degree underscores the institution’s commitment to upholding integrity and aligning with its established criteria and values.