Oh Canada!
When countries from around the world gather for Eurovision next year, they may well be joined by a new contender! Yes, Canada is now eligible to enter the song contest after CBC/Radio-Canada became a full member of the European Broadcasting Union, which is required to compete.
Canadian PM and Arch Globalist Mark Carney has pushed for closer political and economic ties with Europe since taking office last year, floating the idea of Canada joining Eurovision in his 2025 budget.
Remarkably, Canada would not be the first non-European country to take part. Israel and Australia are also regular entrants, while Morocco competed once, in 1980.
The Carney government is working with CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster, to explore participation in Eurovision. Its budget also included C$150m in funding for the broadcaster.Eurovision rules say participation is open to countries with broadcasters that are members of the EBU.
Now whilst Canada has never formally competed in Eurovision, Canadians have appeared in the contest — and even won it! In 1988, Céline Dion, who was born in Quebec, won for Switzerland, helping launch her career!
It is weird that a country in North America can be part of the Eurovision Song Contest but then ago the Eurovision is increasingly a political project with a very strong LGBTQ+ dimension. I am sure Mark Carney will appreciate that.
It’s an overblown, over-hyped ghost of the show it once was. Now, it’s not really about music at all. It’s a jolly, loutish clown-fest of lighting extravaganzas, weird outfits and smoke bombs. The voting was always going to be political, especially among the less academically endowed nations. Now it’s not even geographical. It goes on forever. Shapeless, ill-disciplined and often completely talentless, it’s only bearable with copious amounts of alcohol and nothing to do but sleep the next day. I loved the commentaries of Terry Wogan and Graham Norton, two delightful Irishmen who have kept us sane and amused throughout it all. I wish all those involved a lot of fun with it, whatever continent they’re from.
"Canadian PM and Arch Globalist Mark Carney has pushed for closer political and economic ties with Europe since taking office last year"
Brilliant! They can take our place.