Alongside many major line items, the new federal budget in Canada teased that the Canadian government is working with CBC/Radio-Canada to explore Canada’s participation in the annual Eurovision Song Contest.
The Canadian Federal Budget for 2025’s page 182 reads:
*Budget 2025 proposes to provide $150 million in 2025–26 for CBC/Radio-Canada to strengthen its mandate to serve the public and to better reflect the needs of Canadians. The government will explore modernising CBC/Radio-Canada’s mandate to strengthen independence, and is working with CBC/Radio-Canada to explore participation in Eurovision.”
Two government sources told CBC News Prime Minister Mark Carney is personally involved in the push. While speaking to ESCToday the Eurovision Song Contest Director Martin Green stated:
“We’re always excited to know that broadcasters want to be part of the world’s largest live music show. The Canadian conversation with CBC is in its very early stages and we look forward to continuing our discussions with them.”
In 2022, Toronto-based production company Insight Productions — which made the Canadian spinoffs of The Amazing Race and Big Brother — tried to start a Eurovision Canada, where Canadian artists would compete, with the winner then sent to Europe for the ultimate contest.
At the time, organizers said the competition would premiere in 2023, featuring artists and bands from all 13 provinces and territories, and that the host would be announced within weeks.
But ultimately, the team realized after the announcement that sending Canadians to the global contest would be a complex effort, co-chief content officer Lindsay Cox, told The Canadian Press earlier this year. But the company is still trying to make Eurovision Canada happen, she said.
There also wasn’t buy-in from CBC/Radio-Canada, which would have to be involved given Eurovision is ultimately hosted by public broadcasters. CBC spokesperson Chuck Thompson previously told CBC News ultimately decided it would be “prohibitively expensive.”.
Canada is only an affiliate member, any broadcaster that is granted Associate Member status does not gain access into Eurovision events notable exceptions being those from Australia, who have participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since 2015 and the Junior Eurovision Song Contest between 2015 and 2019; Canada, who participated in the Eurovision Young Dancers between 1987 and 1989; and Kazakhstan, who participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest between 2018 and 2022 all of which were individually invited.
When reached for comment by CBC News last month about the possibility of Canada participating, Eurovision said the contest is limited to EBU members.
