As a Canadian with years of experience following Eurovision, it can sometimes feel like you live in a parallel universe to those around you. However, that might not remain true for much longer. For those of who have watched Eurovision from this side of the Atlantic, the possibility that Canada could finally transition from audience member to a participating country doesn’t feel like far-fetched fan-fiction anymore. It feels more like… policy.
Let’s lay out what’s real, what’s history, and why Eurovision has suddenly turned up in Canadian politics.
Canada Has Already Been Part of Eurovision for Decades
For a country that’s never competed, Canada has been surprisingly loud in Eurovision history. As we discussed on Canada Day in 2024, the following Canadians have all found themselves participating on music’s biggest stage:
- Sherisse Laurence – Born in the small city of Selkirk, Manitoba, Sherisse Laurence hosted a Canadian television variety show called “Circus” from 1978-1983. She would go on to represent Luxembourg at Eurovision in 1986 with “L’amour de ma vie”, finishing in 3rd place.
- Céline Dion – Not needing any introduction, Céline Dion is a Québecois and Canadian icon who represented Switzerland in 1988 with “Ne partez pas sans moi”, becoming the first Canadian performer to win the contest, winning by just one point.
- Lara Fabian* – Joining Céline at the 1988 contest was Belgian-Italian singer Lara Fabian, who placed 4th representing Luxembourg with the song, “Croire”. Why the asterisk here? Well, while Fabian was not a Canadian citizen when competing at Eurovision, Fabian moved to Québec in 1991 and has held Canadian citizenship since 1995.
- Annie Cotton – Continuing on with Québecois singers, Laval’s Annie Cotton made her big entertainment debut in 1991 in the beloved Québec television series, Watatatow. Cotton would later represent Switzerland in 1993 with “Moi, tout simplement,” finishing in 3rd place.
- Natasha St-Pier – Of Acadian heritage and from Bathurst, New Brunswick, Natasha St-Pier represented France in 2001 with “Je n’ai que mon âme”, a song that’s considered a gem in the Eurovision community. St-Pier finished 4th and went on to have a very successful francophone music career in Europe.
- Rykka – Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Rykka won the 2013 Peak Performance Project (and its $100,000 CAD prize), a music initiative aimed to help emerging artists from British Columbia and Alberta. A few years later, Rykka found themselves singing for Switzerland in 2016 with “The Last of Our Kind”, placing 18th in the second semifinal.
- Katerine Duska – Born and raised in Montréal, Quebec, Katerine Duska represented Greece in 2019 with “Better Love”, finishing in 21st place. Duska moved to Greece when she was 16 and now lives in Athens.
- La Zarra – Montréal-born singer La Zarra rose to prominence with her feature on Niro’s Printemps blanc in 2016, then continued her rise to fame with her very successful single, Tu t’en iras, in 2021. She then represented France in 2023 with Évidemment, placing 16th.
On top of these ESC entrants, Canada also participated in Eurovision Young Dancers in 1987 and 1989, making Canada the only country from the Americas to ever take part in an official EBU “Eurovision” event.
Canadians have also been regularly involved behind the scenes at Eurovision. In 2019, Laurell Barker, a songwriter from Vancouver who is now based in Sweden, became the first woman ever to have three songs in a single Eurovision grand final —writing for Switzerland (“She Got Me”), Germany (“Sister”), and the UK (“Bigger Than Us”). She’s also co-written many other national final and Eurovision entries since.
Canada has also crept into the hosting and pop culture orbit:
- Malin Åkerman, who co-hosted Eurovision 2024, grew up in Toronto and started her acting career as a robot on the Canadian science fiction tv series, Earth: Final Conflict, before becoming the Hollywood presence she is now.
- Rachel McAdams, from London, Ontario, was the lead actress in the Netflix movie Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, which did more for North American awareness of Eurovision than most could have predicted.
Canada Has Been Watching (and Occasionally Broadcasting) for a Long Time
Canada’s public broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has been an Associate Member of the Eurovision Broadcasting Union (EBU) since 1950, years before the first Eurovision Song Contest took place in 1956. Eurovision was first reported to be broadcast in Canada in 1977 on CBC, Canada’s national broadcasting network. returning through the ’80s. It later turned up on TV5 Québec Canada through the 1990s and early 2000s. In the 2010s, OutTV picked up delayed broadcast showings in 2014 and 2015, before OMNI began airing the contest in 2019. As of 2025, Canadian viewers have no domestic TV broadcaster for Eurovision, but can watch the full live shows legally on the official Eurovision YouTube channel without need for a VPN.
Why Canada’s Participation Could Be Plausible
Most expect that Canada’s exploration of participation would be for the 2027 contest. Let’s explore some reasons why it’s plausible.
The 2026 Boycott
As we’re well aware, 5 countries have taken a principled and well appreciated stance to not participate in the 2026 contest given the ongoing participation of Israel and the disrepute that the EBU’s actions have brought to the contest. The addition of Canada would certainly be a shiny toy that the EBU could use to try to gloss over the damage they have caused and continue to cause. As a Canadian, I strongly object to Canada’s participation due to these points and hope (against all odds) that, if offered, Canada would reject participation and join the likes of Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain.
Eurovision is literally in the Canadian federal budget
In November 2025, the Canadian federal budget included a line saying the government is working with CBC/Radio-Canada to explore participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. The EBU has confirmed that early talks are happening and that Canada, as an associate EBU member, is being discussed in the same way Australia was prior to their participation.
Australia as a precedent
Like Australia, Canada is an Associate Member of the EBU. Given Australia’s first official appearance at Eurovision was a special invitation to the contest, there’s a belief that a similar invitation could be offered to a new debut country outside the geographic region of Europe. When Australia joined, they were given direct qualification to the final.
Canada is actively trying to redefine its relationship with the U.S. right now
When Canada’s politicians are telling international media that exploring Eurovision is “about protecting our identity” as the relationship with the U.S. shifts, that speaks volumes to the nature of Canada-U.S. relations right now. Canada has been subject to a trade war, tariffs, and threats of annexation from the current U.S. administration. As such, there is a current concerted effort from Canadians to diverge from the U.S. culturally and economically.
Mark Carney is a Prime Minister with a connection to Europe
Mark Carney became Prime Minister of Canada in March 2025. He served as Governor of the Bank of England from 2013-2020, living in London at the time. His first foreign trips as Prime Minister were to France and the UK, rather than the tradition of visiting the U.S. first. Carney explicitly framed this decision around rebuilding and growing relationships with European partners. Carney’s government is continuing to explore trade deals, security relationships, and other economic initiatives that bind Canada to Europe.
Canada’s population already has a very strong connection to Europe
As per Canada’s 2021 census, over 52% of Canadians report European origins. Canadians are already extremely connected to Europe. Just take a lot at the Top 10 origins of Canadians:
- English: 5.3 million
- Irish: 4.4 million
- Scottish: 4.4 million
- French: 4.0 million
- German: 3.0 million
- Chinese: 1.7 million
- Italian: 1.5 million
- Indian: 1.3 million
- Ukrainian: 1.3 million
- Dutch: 1.0 million
Side note: In case any Eurovision fans were wondering, the Polish diaspora is also strong in Canada, sitting at #11 on this list, also at 1.0 million.
So… What Does This All Add Up To?
Taken together, the picture feels clearer than ever. Canada has spent decades hovering at the edge of Eurovision without ever stepping onto the stage as a competing nation. Now, for the first time, it feels like the puzzle pieces have fallen into machinery are all moving in the same direction. A government exploring participation, a Prime Minister with deep European ties, a country actively redefining its identity in contrast to the U.S., and a population that is already shaped by strong European roots all add up to a moment that feels less theoretical and more like a real crossroads. When you mix all of this together with the EBU’s recent decision-making and their desperation to stay afloat during a self-made crisis, one has to think the EBU might strongly consider this proposal.
None of this guarantees that Canada will be offered participation, but it does explain why the conversation has shifted from “wouldn’t it be fun?” to “this might actually happen—and soon.” Unfortunately, the conversation has also become centred around the ethics of Canada’s participation during the contest’s greatest period of turmoil. Whether or not Canada walks onto the Eurovision stage, the door is finally open and the momentum behind it is unmistakable… for better or for worse.