Eurovision came from a budget. Can Canada join the race?

Shrinking government, increasing defense spending and … getting Canada into Eurovision?

In addition to many major line items, the Federal Budget was established that the government is working with CBC / Radio-Canada to evaluate Canada’s participation in the annual Eurovision Song Contest, where international artists compete for the national flag.

Two government sources say Prime Minister Mark Carney is personally involved in the push.

The competition shows European unity and is brought by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), but any public administrations that are members of the Bu can participate, including others outside of Europe. Canada is only an associate member, although Australia, another group of others, participated in 2015.

When reached for comment by CBC News last month about the possibility of Canada participating, Eurovision said the competition is limited to members of the Bu.

While the news coming out of the budget can be exciting for fans of the competition, Canada’s participation may not be easy – especially since others have tried to get the country involved before.

Introducing Eurovision Canada

By 2022, Toronto production is coon-basedMPANny Insight Productions – Canadian spoofs of Amazing race and Big brother – tried to start eurovision canadawhere Canadian artists competed, and the winner was then sent to Europe for further developmentEst.

At the time, the organizers said that the competition will be held in 2023, with professionals and teams from all 13 states and provinces, and that the host will be announced within weeks.

But in the end, the profit didn’t make it out of the ground. The group appeared after the announcement that sending Canadians to the global competition would be a complex endeavor, Lindsay Cox’s chief content officer, he told Canadian media at the beginning of the year. But the company is still trying to make Eurovision Canada happen, he said.

It could not be bought – from CBC / Radio-Canada, which will have to be involved given the EuroThe idea is finally fueled by public broadcasters. CBC SPokesperson Chuck Thompson He previously told CBC news the broadcaster looked at you and met with party at that time, but in the end he decided It can be “vititiit is very expensive. “

You asked what the CBC is currenDoing research to evaluate Canada’s potential Eurovision contestants, Thompson told CBC Newshis time. “

But caNada wouldn’t want to run an expensive, televised contest at home to choose a singer to send to Eurovision – the rules of the contest allow countries to choose their own countries.

Still, the dean ateletic, the historianComposing in the history of Eurovision, means being in the contest and doing it well is expensive – there is a fee to participate, and the costs associated with sending people to the show, as if that’s what you need to host.

Buying customs with Canada can be tricky

Canadians have comIt has been held at Eurovision in the past under other flags – namely Céline Dion, who won the Swiss contest in 1988, as well as Natasha St-Pier, who bowled for France in 2001 and Montreal’s Laarraand with frAnce, 2023. But the contest is not very popular in Canada, which can be a problem for its participation, said Karen Fricker, Brock university expert and Eurovision expert.

“People who are interested in culture know about it. Queer communities know about it,” Fricker said. “Was it known enough to really get momentum, is my big question.”

With ExameplIn Australia, the song contest aired for decades and entered the country’s culture before it began.ed to compete, Fricker said.

And, while Eurovision has tried to live up to its mandate in recent years, the contest is still a European Affair, says history. He says it is possible that the organizers of the competition may not want many non-European countries to join for fear of keeping the event too big.

That said, in an interview with Global News, the finance minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said that the idea of ​​Canada’s competition came from “the people who participate,” suggesting that Europe may not have many Canadians in terms of joining the Canadians.

There was a studentDisagreement about who should be able to participate in this competition – that is, with the joint participation of Israel, gave its war in Gaza. Organizers had organized the voteE this month with WHETher Israel should be allowed to competeE next year, though it has since been postponed.

“So now, expanding Eurovision is actually not the main focus of the European Union – it’s trying to save that competition as it is,” said Vutetic.

Despite the obstacles, Fricker says that the support of the Federal government makes this a real conversation that Canada has ever met by joining the competition – something fans can be excited about.

“It’s still speculation, but it’s stronger than ever.”