When countries from around the world take to the stage to participate in Eurovision next year, they could see a new competitor.

Canada is now eligible to take part in the song contest after CBC/Radio-Canada became a full member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), a requirement to compete.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has been seeking closer political and economic ties with Europe since taking office last year, raised the idea of Canada joining the song contest in his 2025 budget.

Canada would not be the first non-European country to join the contest; Israel and Australia regularly compete, and Morocco competed in 1980.

The Carney government said in November that it was working with the CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster, “to explore participation in Eurovision”. His government’s budget included C$150m (£80m) in funding for the broadcaster.

Eurovision’s rules state that participation in the contest is open to countries with broadcasting organisations that are members of the EBU.

Before Thursday, the CBC had been an “associate member”.

“Canada’s voice in this community makes us stronger,” Noel Curran, director general of the EBU, said.

Even though Canada has not formally competed in Eurovision, Canadians have, and they have even won.

In 1988, Céline Dion, a Canadian from the province of Quebec, won the contest competing for Switzerland. The victory helped jumpstart Dion’s storied career.

Other Canadians have since competed, including Natasha St-Pier, an Acadian New Brunswicker who represented France in 2001, and La Zarra, a singer from Montreal who represented France in 2023.