How realistic are Canada’s prospects of joining the Eurovision Song Contest?

Erika Vikman from Finland performs the song "Ich komme" during the dress rehearsal for the Grand Final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, in Basel, Switzerland, Friday, May 16 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

TORONTO — Canadian fans of the Eurovision Song Contest have reason to hope that a homegrown act might one day take part in the outlandish music spectacle.

Speculation is brewing over whether Canada could join the 71-year-old song contest after the Liberal government announced in Tuesday’s federal budget that it is “working with CBC/Radio-Canada to explore participation in Eurovision.”

The proposed spending plan offered no further details, but the mere suggestion that a Canadian delegate could compete for the Great White North raised questions about how this could be achieved and why it’s being considered.

The Eurovision Song Contest is renowned for its wild performances, which often feature impressive stage design, eccentric outfits, and ridiculous lyrics.

It helped launch Sweden’s ABBA and a young Celine Dion, who represented Switzerland in 1988. Here’s a look at some lingering questions.

Can we really be part of Eurovision?

In short, yes.

While Canada isn’t part of Europe, neither are many participants, including Australia, Cyprus and Israel. Almost all of them, however, are members of the European Broadcasting Union, the alliance of public media outlets that runs the show.

Canada is only an associate member of the EBU, but we can join the party if we’re invited.

Eurovision’s head of communications told The Canadian Press the organization is “always excited” when broadcasters want to be a part of the competition.

“The Canadian conversation with CBC is in its very early stages and we look forward to continuing our discussions with them,” Dave Goodman says in a statement.

The extent of CBC’s interest is also unclear. The broadcaster’s spokesman Chuck Thompson says the CBC has “no information to share about Eurovision at this time.”

How would we decide who represents us?

The selection process varies by nation. Some countries choose performers in closed-door meetings with music industry players, while others let TV viewers vote on singing competitions like “The Voice” or Sweden’s six-week “Melodifestivalen,” which is watched by roughly half of the country.

Over the past few years, Toronto-based Insight Productions has shopped around a proposed singing competition called “Eurovision Canada” that would determine our musical act.

Insight produces the Juno Awards and “The Amazing Race Canada” and originally saw the concept as an English-only program.

But co-chief content officer Lindsay Cox said in May they scrapped that idea in favour of “a bilingual-hosted show” in which contenders “sing in whatever language they like.” Since the budget announcement, Cox has only said “ongoing conversations” are taking place with the CBC.

What’s the point of all this?

Aside from the entertainment value, there’s a case to be made for symbolically linking arms with Europe amid a U.S. trade war and political turmoil. Even more, the founder of Eurovision fansite and YouTube channel Wiwibloggs suggests Canada’s pop musical talent has a real shot at winning.

“Canada really punches above its weight,” says William Lee Adams. “This would be a great statement to the U.S. for Canada to say … ‘We’re going to strengthen our ties with European countries in a contest that you’re not invited to.’”

Adams believes there’s also a potential upside for Canada’s tourism industry.

“It’s such a great way to introduce Europeans to a side of Canada they may not know,” he says. Beyond the song itself, the Eurovision broadcast highlights the country’s most notable destinations in “postcard” videos filmed at picturesque locales.

“They often serve as travel adverts, effectively,” he says. “You can reach nearly 180 million people in a moment. They’ll fall in love with Canada, want to come visit, and want to spend that money.”

Eurovision organizers could benefit from Canada’s involvement, as well. In recent months, pressure has mounted for the EBU to kick Israel out of next year’s competition over the war in Gaza. Countries that include Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland and the Netherlands have pledged to boycott the event if Israel is allowed to perform.

The EBU postponed a decision on Israel’s participation until after it meets in December, but in the meantime has drawn in other countries that haven’t participated for years.

In recent weeks, Moldova, Bulgaria and Romania announced plans to return to the contest.

Adams suggests this could bolster the lineup if other countries were to bow out. “Chatter now turns to the possibility that Canada was invited for that very reason,” he says. “This would certainly add buzz to the contest, and might counter some of the negative press elsewhere.”

How much will Eurovision cost us?

Broadcasters in each country pay a participation fee that covers the cost of enrolment and rights to air the show on their network.

Adams says the EBU has a tiered system where the richest countries with the largest populations pay the most, while smaller countries foot a lesser bill.

All of these financial details are closely guarded, but Adams says freedom of information requests by some local media outlets have uncovered how wildly they can range.

For instance, he said Spain had to pay more than 330,000 euros (C$535,000) in 2024, while Ireland paid only about 100,000 euros (C$160,000) last year. Smaller countries such as Slovenia pay even less.

“That number is just a fraction of the actual cost,” he notes. Add to the balance sheet the expenses of paying the musicians, their management team, dancers and producers, and transportation to the country where the song contest is held. Then there’s feeding and housing them in a hotel for two weeks, as well as staging costs, advertising and more. “The numbers can swell very, very quickly,” he said.

”There have been reports in recent years of some countries’ delegations spending more than $1 million to participate.”

Do we even have a chance of winning?

Realistically, probably not. But it isn’t impossible.

When Australia joined the competition in 2015, pop singer Guy Sebastian placed an impressive 5th in the finals.

Prognosticators suggested the country was helped by Sebastian’s global popularity, a quality pop song and some goodwill from viewers. A potent combination of all three could push Canada to a similar spot.

If Canada were to win, it would raise many new questions. Usually, the winning country hosts the following year, but Adams suggests it’s unlikely Eurovision would end up in North America.

“Other countries simply could not afford to get everyone to Canada,” he says. “Probably Germany or the Netherlands, if they were participating, would pipe up and say, ‘We’ll co-host with you.’”

Would most Canadians even watch?

Even some diehard fans acknowledge it could be a tough sell.

Eurovision’s semifinals are broadcast during prime time on two weeknights in May, which means it would air in Canada in the middle of a workday. The Eurovision final, the most-watched part of the competition, unfolds on a Saturday night in European time zones, which would put the show in the daytime here.

“That’s one very practical limitation,” Adams says. “The reason Eurovision gets such big audiences in Europe is because it’s been part of the tradition for decades. You can’t just turn on a tradition.”

He pointed to the “American Song Contest,” a Eurovision-inspired show hosted by Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg in 2022 that pitted U.S. states against each other, but drew feeble viewer numbers.

“Essentially, Canada is having to start from zero,” he says. “Sure, immigrants and children of immigrants from Europe may know what Eurovision is, but what percentage of the TV viewing audience is that? I’d wager it’s quite small.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2025.

David Friend, The Canadian Press