Canada Greenlit for Eurovision: EBU Upgrades CBC Membership
Ottawa, Canada – The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has officially upgraded CBC/Radio-Canada's membership from associate to full, making Canada eligible to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time. The announcement was made on Thursday.
"Canada's voice in this community makes us stronger." — Noel Curran, Director General of the EBU
Prime Minister Mark Carney first floated the idea of Canada joining the contest in his 2025 budget, which allocated C$150 million (approximately £80 million) to the CBC. In November, Carney's government confirmed it was working with the broadcaster to explore participation in Eurovision.
To compete in Eurovision, a country's broadcasting organization must be a full EBU member. Canada will join a small group of non-European participants, including Israel and Australia—both regular competitors—and Morocco, which competed in 1980.
Canadians have previously tasted Eurovision glory, though representing other nations. In 1988, Céline Dion won the contest while competing for Switzerland. Other Canadian artists, such as Natasha St-Pier (France, 2001) and La Zarra (France, 2023), have also represented European countries.