After Canadian singing superstar Celine Dion won the Eurovision song contest while competing for Switzerland 38 years ago, fellow Canadian artists are now eligible in to compete in a popular music contest threatened by politics and a loss of sponsors.
That follows the European Broadcasting Union, the Eurovision organizer, on Thursday announcing Canada’s full membership after a vote held at its 96th General Assembly in Prague. CBC/Radio-Canada had been an associate member of the EBU since 1950, and now as a full member can fully participate in all European broadcasting organization events and initiatives.
“Canada’s voice in this community makes us stronger,” Noel Curran, director general of the EBU, said in a statement. His comments came after the 2026 Eurovision contest ultimately won by Bulgaria was rocked by a boycott by Spain, Slovenia, Ireland, Iceland and the Netherlands to protest Israeli singer Noam Bettan being allowed to participate in the annual singing competition amid his country’s Gaza conflict.
Besides lost broadcaster license fees from boycotting countries, a host of sponsors also withdrew their key financial support over Israel‘s inclusion. The EBU also faced pushback from member countries over its tele-voting rules for the competition.
