It's the international competition that brings Euphoria to its audience and let its participants Rise Like a Phoenix, and there's the possibility the Eurovision Song Contest could soon include Canada in its ranks. It wasn't a big-ticket item, but the Liberal government's 2025 budget included a line on the CBC that said it's working with the public broadcaster to explore participation in the popular song contest.
Eurovision has been around since 1956 and is organized annually by the European Broadcasting Union. It features acts from multiple countries in Europe, but also a few from abroad, such as Australia.
The campy-style song contest has sometimes been called Europe's version of the Super Bowl, with hundreds of millions of viewers globally."We want Canadian culture on a global stage," Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Thursday. "Best culture in the world, best music in the world, I think Europe deserves to see it too." Story continues below advertisement Carney is a fan of the popular song content.
Canadians have competed in the contest in the past, with Celine Dion winning it for Switzerland in 1988. That same year, Lara Fabian, who became a Canadian citizen in 1995, represented Luxembourg and came in fourth place.
La Zarra, who was born in Montreal, represented France in the 2023 contest and came in 16th with her performance of Evidemment.
Carney has been doing outreach to numerous countries in recent months as Canada looks to like-minded trading partners amid the trade war with the U.S. 5:21 Finance Minister Champagne breaks down 'generational' federal budget Dean Vuletic, a historian of the Eurovision Song Contest, told Global News he was not surprised that Canadian budget included a line about the competition. He noted that joining the contest has been something discussed by Canada since Australia joined in 2015. Story continues below advertisement "Canada is a country that is close to Europe, culturally, politically, especially the countries of the European Union," Vuletic said. "We're talking about the EU member states which are the core of Eurovision and they're the ones that Canada is looking to develop closer ties with considering the current situation in the world. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. "I think this is also a way for Canada to strengthen its connection with the European Union, even though Eurovision isn't officially connected to the European Union ... This is a way for Canada to demonstrate that it is closely tied with the European Union, that it shares the values of the European Union."Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told Global News Europe is open to the idea. More on Entertainment More videos For the first time in 35 years, the Billboard Top 40 has no hip-hop or rap songs. Here's why Blake Lively requests $161M in damages amid Justin Baldoni legal battle 2026 Grammy Awards nominations: Kendrick Lamar leads list of music contenders Meghan Markle returning to the big screen after 8-year hiatus Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week 2025 The Morning Show: November 7 The Beaches: Fun facts and hidden stories behind the Toronto band we love 2026 Grammy Awards: Osbourne family pay tribute to Ozzy, announce rock and metal nominees "This was something that was asked by the people who participate and I think it's a platform for Canada to shine," Champagne said Tuesday.
Joining Eurovision was previously considered by CBC/Radio-Canada in the past but was determined to be prohibitively expensive.
There have been plans to launch a televised singing contest in Canada that would send the winner to Eurovision, similar to how other contest countries choose their entry. Trending Now Ostrich cull complete at B.C. farm, flock of birds shot dead, CFIA says Canadian travellers to Europe face new border measures as security ramps up Lindsay Cox, co-chief content officer at Insight Productions in Toronto, told The Canadian Press that their original plans for an English-only program were scrapped in favour of a "bilingual-hosted show." Story continues below advertisement 1:47 Eurovision 2024: "The most insane thing" says Switzerland's Nemo after winning song contest Since the budget announcement, Cox said "ongoing conversations" have been taking place with the CBC, but did not provide more detail.
The big question, according to Eurovision expert Karen Fricker - if Canada gets in the contest - is there enough appetite to watch?"It's super fun to watch, but would there be interest in it?" wondered Fricker, an adjunct professor of dramatic arts at Brock University in Niagara.
Fricker told Global News the contest has become highly popular for various immigrant and diasporic communities, with some bringing their own nation's broadcast