University of Toronto revokes Buffy Sainte-Marie’s honorary law degree
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TORONTO –
The University of Toronto has rescinded folk singer Buffy Sainte-Marie’s honorary degree.
It’s the latest recognition Sainte-Marie has lost since a 2023 CBC News investigation called her Indigenous heritage into question, including the Order of Canada and Polaris Prize.
Sainte-Marie disputed the CBC’s reporting but acknowledged in a statement to The Canadian Press that she is American and not a Canadian citizen.
Sainte-Marie rose to prominence as a folk performer in Toronto’s Yorkville music scene weaving activism into her music and appearances and becoming a prominent advocate for Indigenous causes on both sides of the border.
The University of Toronto did not provide reasons for revoking Sainte-Marie’s honorary Doctor of Laws degree, saying only that it received a petition in February 2025 requesting the move.
The school says the committee recommended the degree be revoked at a meeting on April 20 this year and the executive committee later endorsed the recommendation.
It says the governing council approved the rescindment on Wednesday.
The University of Toronto’s governing council lists only one other person whose degree has been revoked: Duncan Campbell Scott, who presided over the expansion of Canada’s residential school system.
A spokesperson said in an email that they are the only two people to have their degrees de-recognized since the Standing Committee on Recognition was created in 2024.
“We can’t immediately confirm what may have happened in the university’s 200-year history prior to such a process being put in place,” they wrote.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2026.