Canada's Eurovision Five Draw Fire Over Missing Indigenous Voices

Canada's first Eurovision entry was supposed to be a celebration. Instead, the five artists chosen to compete for the ticket to Eurovision 2027 have started an argument about who gets to represent the country. CBC/Radio-Canada announced the finalists on October 27: William Cloutier, Josiane, Rêve, TALK and Tyler Shaw. Critics quickly pointed at what the list does not have. There is no Indigenous artist on it, and no Black artist.

The finalists were chosen from 325 submissions. CBC music teams cut the field to 15, and a jury of music industry professionals and broadcaster executives picked the five. Shaw, who is of half-Chinese descent, is the only non-white artist among them.

The criticism

Indigenous singer-songwriter Shawnee Kish was among the first to speak. She congratulated the five finalists, then said she was saddened to see no Indigenous representation among the artists chosen to showcase the country's roots and spirit. "Canada's Indigenous talent is rich, bold, unique and deeply woven into the fabric of this country," she wrote.

Songwriter and producer Andrew Jackson, who has worked with artists such as Halsey and Katy Perry, said he raised the same concern when he saw the shortlist. Singer and producer Deniz Renio also voiced disappointment that neither community is in the final five.

Toronto singer Dani Doucette raised a different complaint: the finalists were presented at the launch event without live performances, so the public had no real sense of how any of them sound on a stage.

CBC's answer

The questions were put to CBC directly at the Toronto unveiling. Jennifer Dettman, Canada's head of delegation for Eurovision and CBC's executive director of unscripted content, pointed to the tight timeline of a first-year selection. She said the broadcaster is already talking with Indigenous music organizations, Indigenous artists and Black artists about future editions. "We are making sure with Indigenous music organizations, with Indigenous artists, with Black artists, that we are talking with them, that we're listening to them, for future opportunities," she said.

CBC also announced a fix for the no-performance complaint. The five finalists will sing live in a broadcast concert called Horizon Eurovision on November 1, with ten minutes each to show their voices and staging.

How the winner is picked

Canadians can watch the finalists' performances and vote online, up to ten times per person, through November 5 at 11:59 p.m. PT. PricewaterhouseCoopers oversees the count. The winner, to be announced by December, will then work with industry partners to build the song and staging for the 71st Eurovision Song Contest, set for May 2027 at Arena Burgas in Burgas, Bulgaria.

Canada is the first new country to join Eurovision since Australia in 2015. The contest draws roughly 130 million viewers.

Why it matters

Eurovision sells itself as a contest of national showcases. For a debut country, the shortlist is the first thing the world learns about its music. That is why a selection built to show Canada's cultural and linguistic range, with a bilingual Acadian artist and a Quebec star on it, still took fire for the two communities it left out. CBC's promise to fix the outreach next year is now on the record, and the November 1 concert is the broadcaster's first chance to show the five acts can carry a live stage.

Key numbers

• Five finalists, chosen from 325 submissions
• Public vote runs through November 5 at 11:59 p.m. PT, up to 10 votes per person
• Horizon Eurovision live concert: November 1, ten minutes per act
• Eurovision 2027: May 2027 in Burgas, Bulgaria, with an audience of about 130 million
• Canada is the first new Eurovision country since Australia joined in 2015