Canada has joined Eurovision — and I couldn’t be happier. This is our goal

Since its founding by the European Broadcasting Union in 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest has delighted, baffled and enraged music fans not only in Europe but around the world. And now that the CBC has become a full member of the EBU, Canada has the right to send participants to the 71st competition which will be held in Bulgaria in 2027. It’s time to think about what we want.

What is Eurovision?

Eurovision is the world’s biggest talent show. EBU member countries (there are 57, along with 28 member associations, which operate nearly 2,000 TV and radio channels that collectively reach around one billion people) hold national competitions. This year, live TV viewers totaled about 135 million across 35 broadcast markets. Millions more watched on YouTube in regions outside the EBU (that’s how I watched it). There will be more than a billion views on Instagram by 2026.

So yeah, that’s a big deal. Canada has the potential to get a lot of European attention. And considering the problems we’ve had with our neighbors, that’s a good thing, right?

When and where is Eurovision held?

The Eurovision final takes place on the third Saturday in May, which coordinates well with our annual long weekend. The location changes almost every year. National winners are sent to the finals held in the previous year’s winning country. The 2027 edition comes to Bulgaria thanks to Dara’s victory with her song Bangaranga. Currently, we are not sure if the party will be held in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, or Burgas. We’ll know for sure at the end of this month.

Wait. If it Eurovision, why are there non-European participants?

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If you are an EBU member, you are eligible. This means that the Eurovision area extends to Iceland and Norway in the north to North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt) to the Middle East (Israel, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq), plus Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in Central Asia. Australia is also part of the EBU (they joined in 2015), so like Canada, they can compete despite being far from Europe.

How many countries are competing?

It depends. Several dozen countries, such as Britain, France, Germany and Italy, are perennial competitors. Others come in and out. For example, North Macedonia will be back in the running after a four-year absence. Bosnia-Herzegovina may be back, but they have had financial problems recently, problems shared by Slovakia and several other countries. Politics can also interfere. In 2026, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland all boycotted the competition due to Israel’s continued participation amid the situation in Gaza. And of course, no Russia. By the time the 2027 edition gets underway, we will see 37 countries involved at some level.

How can an act end up in the Eurovision final?

Each country holds internal competitions. The national winner advances to the semifinal round in the host country. Top 10 of each progress. The only exceptions were the Big Five (England, France, Germany, Spain and Italy), who automatically participated in the grand final, giving us a total of 26 finalists. With each player getting three minutes (that’s the maximum song length allowed), it makes for a long night.

How to determine the winner?

Each person performed their three-minute song, a song that had not been commercially available before the competition. Backing tracks are rampant. Stage props, costumes, and various effects are encouraged. There is no limit to outrageousness and weirdness.

After everyone has completed their task, the judges vote on their favorite on a scale of one to 12 (with the exception of nine and 11; no one got nine or 11 points). Judges cannot choose their own country. There was also massive telephone voting, which actually determined the winner. This is also the most unpredictable part of the process. The winner is usually determined at the final announcement of the vote allocation. And yes, there are always accusations of secret vote-trading deals as well as attempts to increase audience votes for certain entries. That just adds to the intrigue.

Does Canada have any every history at all with Eurovision?

Actually yes. Celine Dion won as Switzerland’s representative in 1988. In 2001, Natasha St-Pier, who was born and raised in New Brunswick, finished fourth for France in 2001. More recently, La La Zarra, originally from Montreal, was France’s representative in 2023.

So who will represent Canada in 2027?

We don’t know. We had to start from scratch in terms of the Eurovision group and jury. Then we need to establish local regulations, solicit participants and conduct a national selection process. Expect to hear more details in the next few months. Whoever we select will have to compete in the semifinals, so participation in the final next May is not safe.

What else do I need to know?

Apart from attracting Dion’s attention in the 80s, ABBA’s big introduction to the world was when they achieved victory with this song. Waterloo in 1974. Most recently, Italy’s Måneskin achieved a rare victory for rock ‘n’ roll when they won in 2021 for the song Zitti and buoni. Their subsequent fame helped them sell 40 million records worldwide. They even received a Grammy nomination for best new artist in 2023.

What does our prime minister have to do with all this?

Mark Carney is a fan. He began floating the idea of ​​Canada’s participation in Eurovision shortly after he took office. He is happy.

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