Canada in the Eurovision Song Contest

Canada in the
Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
Canada
Participating broadcasterCanadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC/Radio-Canada)
Participation summary
Appearances1 (upcoming)
First appearance2027
Participation history
Canada's page at Eurovision.com Edit this at Wikidata

Canada is set to make its debut at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027, represented by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC/Radio-Canada) as the participating broadcaster. It will be the first country from the Americas to join the contest, and the second from outside the European Broadcasting Area, following Australia.

Background

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC/Radio-Canada) has a long-standing relationship with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), of which it had been an associate member since the union's creation in 1950.[1] CBC/Radio-Canada became the first EBU associate member to be invited to participate in a Eurovision event, when it entered Eurovision Young Dancers in 1987 and 1989.[2] It was the only EBU associate member invited to any Eurovision event until Australia's Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) was invited to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2015. Although Canada had not participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in its own right, several Canadian artists had represented other countries:[3] Sherisse Laurence represented Luxembourg in 1986,[4] Céline Dion won for Switzerland in 1988, Lara Fabian represented Luxembourg in 1988,[5] Annie Cotton represented Switzerland in 1993, Natasha St-Pier represented France in 2001, Rykka represented Switzerland in 2016, Katerine Duska represented Greece in 2019, and La Zarra represented France in 2023.

Following the launch of the American Song Contest in 2022, the EBU announced on 25 April 2022 that it would expand the Eurovision brand into North America by creating Eurovision Canada. Through Voxovation, which holds the license to adapt the Eurovision format for other territories, it partnered with Canadian production company Insight Productions to develop the competition,[6] with plans for the inaugural edition to take place in 2023. The competition was designed to feature musical acts representing each of Canada's ten provinces and three territories, and consist of televised qualifying rounds, semi-finals and a live final.[7] Artists were expected to perform original songs, with the winner determined by a combination of public voting and a jury of music industry professionals. The project experienced delays and a prolonged lack of updates from organisers throughout 2023 and 2024. In May 2025, a spokesperson for CBC/Radio-Canada confirmed that Eurovision Canada had been shelved. Following consultations with various industry stakeholders, the broadcaster determined that the logistical and financial demands of producing a multi-week, live national touring competition across Canada were "prohibitively expensive".[8]

In November 2025, the Canadian government led by Prime Minister Mark Carney published its budget for 2025; included in it is a section where the government would work with CBC/Radio-Canada to explore a potential participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.[9] The broadcaster's news division reported that Carney himself was "personally involved in the push", according to two government sources.[10][11]

At its 96th general assembly in Prague, Czech Republic, on 25 June 2026, the EBU approved a revision of its statutes.[12] Historically, full EBU membership required the broadcasters' countries to fall within the European Broadcasting Area (EBA) or hold membership in the Council of Europe (CoE). The approved changes created a new membership framework, allowing public broadcasters from countries outside the EBA or that are not members of the CoE to obtain full membership, provided they meet core CoE standards and their country maintain a formal observer status with the CoE. As Canada is a CoE observer state, the statutory change made CBC/Radio-Canada eligible for full EBU integration. The assembly subsequently voted to accept CBC/Radio-Canada as a full EBU member, granting the broadcaster immediate rights to apply for any Eurovision event without a special invitation.[1]

On 1 July 2026, Canada Day, the EBU and CBC/Radio-Canada released a joint announcement confirming that Canada would make its debut at the Eurovision Song Contest 2027 in Bulgaria.[13][14] In August, the CBC announced the start of the artist selection process, with applications open until 9 September before a public and jury process decides the winner.[15]

Participation overview

Table key
1 First place
2 Second place
3 Third place
◇ Entry selected but did not compete
† Upcoming event
Year Artist Song Language Final Points Semi Points
2027 Confirmed intention to participate †

Broadcasts

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Delayed two-part broadcast on 9 and 16 August 1977 at 13:00 ( EDT)[16]
  2. ↑ Delayed broadcast in a shortened format on 30 May 1988 at 19:00 (EDT)[17]
  3. ↑ Deferred broadcast at 20:00 (EDT)[19]
  4. ↑ Deferred broadcast
  5. ↑ Deferred broadcast at 00:15 (EDT)[23]
  6. ↑ Deferred broadcast at 22:05 (EDT)[24]
  7. ↑ OutTV broadcast the three shows in Canada between 20–22 June 2014.
  8. ↑ Omni Television aired all three shows on a six hour delay.

References

  1. 1 2 "CBC/Radio-Canada joins EBU as full Member". ebu.ch. EBU. 25 June 2026. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "Eurovision – Canada". Eurovoix.
  3. ↑ "Canadians in Eurovision History". Eurovision Fam. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  4. ↑ "High note!" Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph, May 3, 1986.
  5. ↑ O'Connor, John Kennedy (2 April 2007). The Eurovision Song Contest — The Official History. UK: Carlton Books. ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3.
  6. ↑ "Insight Productions planning Eurovision Canada for 2023". Insight Productions Ltd. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "Canada explores participation in the Eurovision Song Contest". Eurovisionworld. 6 November 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "CBC Confirms Eurovision Format is Too Expensive To Run". Eurovoix World. 17 May 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  9. ↑ Tunney, Catharine (4 November 2025). "A $78B deficit, public service cuts, new tax measures: Highlights of budget 2025". CBC. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  10. ↑ Hughes, Abby (5 November 2025). "Will Canada actually join Eurovision? Not without some challenges, experts say". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  11. ↑ Granger, Anthony (6 November 2025). "Canada: Prime Minister Mark Carney Involved in Push for Eurovision Participation". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 7 November 2025. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  12. ↑ "The importance of public service media and their indispensable role within democratic societies". ebu.ch. EBU. 26 June 2026. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "Canada will debut at the 71st Eurovision Song Contest". Eurovision.com. EBU. 1 July 2026. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  14. ↑ Surgenor, Helen (1 July 2026). "Canada will enter the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  15. ↑ Alex Hudson, "Canada Launching Applications for Eurovision Song Contest 2027". Exclaim!, 24 August 2026.
  16. 1 2 MacKinnon, Ruth-Ann (5 August 1977). "Television and Radio". The Albertan. Allentown, Canada. p. 26. Retrieved 7 June 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. 1 2 "Télé-spéciaux – dimanche" [TV specials – Sunday]. Télé Presse. Montreal, QC, Canada. 28 May 1988. p. 4. Retrieved 23 June 2024 – via National Library and Archives of Quebec.
  18. ↑ "Sunday evening". Aldergrove Star. Aldergrove, BC, Canada. 26 May 1988. p. 17. Retrieved 17 June 2024 – via University of British Columbia Library.
  19. 1 2 "La télévision de samedi soir en un clin d'oeil" [Saturday night television at a glance]. Le Devoir. Montreal, Canada. 6 May 1989. p. C-10. Retrieved 9 May 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ Eurovision Song Contest '90 Zagreb/YU (Television programme) (in English, French, and Serbo-Croatian). Zagreb, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia: Jugoslavenska radiotelevizija (JRT) and Radiotelevizija Zagreb (RTZ). 5 May 1990.
  21. ↑ "BBC Online – Eurovision Song Contest – Information". 2 May 1999. Archived from the original on 2 May 1999. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  22. ↑ "Entertainment". Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 29 May 1999. p. ES12. Retrieved 22 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. 1 2 "Le samedi 13 mai" [Saturday May 13]. Le Soleil Télé. Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. 13–19 May 2000. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 18 October 2024 – via Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.
  24. 1 2 "Votre soirée de télévision" [Your evening of television]. La Presse. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 25 May 2002. p. D2. Retrieved 18 October 2024 – via National Library and Archives of Quebec.
  25. ↑ "Eurovision Returns To Canadian Television". Eurovision Canada. 5 May 2014. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  26. ↑ Granger, Anthony (2 April 2015). "Canada: OUTtv to broadcast Eurovision 2015". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 14 September 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  27. ↑ Granger, Anthony (9 February 2019). "Canada: OMNI Television to Broadcast Eurovision 2019". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  28. ↑ "Eurovision Song Contest 2019". Omni Television. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  29. ↑ "Canada: OMNI Television Confirms Eurovision 2020 Broadcast". Eurovoix. 11 February 2020. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  30. ↑ Granger, Anthony (29 March 2021). "Canada: OMNI Television to Broadcast Eurovision 2021". Eurovoix. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
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