This film examines the harms of false Indigeneity. The singer Buffy Sainte-Marie’s claims to Indigenous ancestry are being called into question by family members and an investigation that included genealogical documentation and historical research. Geoff Leo and The Fifth Estate, reported on those claims and contradictions of Indigenous identity made by the singer over her long and much-celebrated career. It was a story that began with a tip and one year on, our reporting made headlines around the world with analysis and public discourse that continued for weeks. Stories that raise questions about a person’s Indigenous ancestry require great care and nuance. CBC News journalists have reported on similar cases in the past. Inevitably, we get asked ethical questions around care, what the bar for reporting these types of investigations is and should be and whose stories these are to tell. We took great care ahead of publication to manage the way in which the documentary was delivered out of respect and recognition for the hurt it could cause. Experts in the field have said time and again that failing to challenge false narratives is contrary to the principles of truth and reconciliation