Canada is welcome to join Eurovision if it wishes, its director has said, because at this point who's really keeping track of geographical boundaries anyway? Eurovision director Martin Green told the BBC on Wednesday that Canada hadn't yet applied, but would be welcome to - a gracious invitation for a country that's roughly 6,000 kilometers from the nearest European coastline.
"We know that Mark Carney wants to sort of embrace Europe," Green said, referencing the Canadian prime minister's apparent desire to swap maple leaves for olive branches. "We will welcome anyone through those doors who wants to share the values of this wonderful occasion and stand on our stage with friends," he added, presumably while pointing at a map and squinting.
As the name suggests, Eurovision is mainly a showcase for European talent, but it is technically open to countries with broadcasting organizations that are members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Canada's national broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), is not a full member but is eligible as an "associate member" - a category that has only ever admitted Australia, which was granted permission to enter in 2015 due to the contest being hugely popular there. The CBC has confirmed it has sent staff to this year's contest as "observers," which is how you get into Eurovision: by watching very intently from the sidelines first.
Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney, first raised the idea of Canada joining the song contest in November in his 2025 federal budget - yet another sign of his government's strategic realignment away from the US and towards Europe. A single line tucked in the nearly 500-page document revealed the government was working with CBC to "explore participation in the Eurovision." Two government sources told the CBC that Carney - who spent years studying and living in the UK, most recently as the governor of the Bank of England - was personally involved in Canada's push.
"I think it's a platform for Canada to shine," the country's finance minister, François-Philippe Champagne, said in November. "This is about protecting our identity - yes, we want to protect our sovereignty, but you also want to help people in the arts sector and in the film industry to make sure they can shine around the world. And we have a lot to offer as Canadians." Canada has mulled participating in the song contest before; in 2022, the CBC ruled out the idea after deciding it was "prohibitively expensive" - which is Eurovision-speak for "we saw the glitter budget."
While Canada has never formally participated in Eurovision, the contest has hosted an array of Canadian artists. Most famously was Céline Dion, who won the contest for Switzerland in 1988 with the song Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi. In 2001, Natasha St-Pier represented France, as did La Zarra in 2023. Contestants do not have to be citizens of the country they are representing, although some participating countries do mandate it - a rule that has probably caused more than one awkward backstage conversation.