TORONTO – Canada will take part in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, the “European Song Contest”: the announcement came today — on Canada Day — from CBC/Radio-Canada and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
“On this Canada Day, as we celebrate with Canadians across the country and around the world the richness and diversity of Canadian culture, we’re so excited to confirm that we’re bringing the world’s largest live music event to Canadians,” said Marie-Philippe Bouchard, President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, in a press release (here). “We are absolutely delighted to welcome CBC/Radio-Canada to the Eurovision Song Contest family – a further sign that, while born in Europe, the Contest continues to welcome the world,” added Martin Green, Director of the Eurovision Song Contest, in the same joint statement.
Next year, Bulgaria will host the 71st edition of the event, considered an important launching pad for songwriters, singers and musicians. The Eurovision Song Contest is known for its spectacular pyrotechnics, eccentric costumes, and consistently highly original performances. Canadians already seem to enjoy it, so much so that last year Canada ranked among the top three countries in the “Rest of the World” vote. Canadians were also among the largest buyers of tickets outside Europe, with many travelling to Vienna, Austria, to attend the semi-finals and the grand final in May.
Canada, in fact, has also been part of Eurovision history in the past: in 1988, a very young Céline Dion won the Eurovision Song Contest representing Switzerland with the song “Ne partez pas sans moi” (here below) achieving a breakthrough that launched her international career.
Since then, other Canadian artists have taken part in the competition, including Natasha St-Pier (from New Brunswick), who represented France in 2001 with the song “Je n’ai que mon âme” (here), and La Zarra (from Montreal), who represented France in 2023 with “Évidemment” (here).
From the next edition onward, Canadian-born singers will no longer need to “align” themselves with one of the participating countries: there will instead be a singer officially representing Canada, making it the first new country to join the Eurovision Song Contest since Australia’s entry in 2015.
The inclusion of non-European countries in Eurovision is a long-standing tradition and has not been without controversy: earlier this year, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Iceland and Slovenia boycotted the contest to protest Israel’s participation while the war in Gaza was still ongoing. The request to exclude Israel was rejected by the European broadcasters, although the country’s future participation is expected to remain a controversial issue.
Controversies aside, now it is Canada’s turn: who will be the singer carrying the maple leaf flag onto the Eurovision stage? For now, it is still unknown: CBC/Radio-Canada will announce by the end of the year the details on how Canada’s representative for the 2027 edition will be selected, marking a new chapter in a story that sees Canada increasingly close to Europe, in uncertain times for North America.
The imagine above is from the official Eurovision website (here) where is available the announcement of Canada’s participation in the upcoming edition of the Festival with additional information and video.
