“Our participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, starting next year in Bulgaria, will allow Canadian talent to be showcased on one of the most storied music stages in the world,” Canadian Broadcasting Corporation chief Marie-Philippe Bouchard said.
“It will also allow fans in Canada to continue watching and voting in the Song Contest, as they have done for years — with the added thrill of seeing their own country represented on the Eurovision stage.”
Canada is not the first non-European country to join the song contest. Israel first took part in 1973, and Morocco participated in 1980. In 2015, Australia became the only country outside the European Broadcasting Area to take part in the contest.
Israel’s ongoing inclusion in the contest has proved contentious, with a number of EBU members boycotting this year’s Eurovision over Israel’s military actions in Gaza. The winning country hosts the following year’s contest, and Israel placed second to Bulgaria in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, narrowly avoiding what would have been a nightmare scenario for the EBU.
Although Canada has never competed in the contest before, many Canadian citizens have participated while representing different EBU members. The most notable is Céline Dion, who won the contest in 1988 while representing Switzerland.