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Canada's Got Talent
Logo of the revival series, used since 2022
Created by	Simon Cowell
Directed by	Joan Tosoni Sue Brophey Harbinder Singh Dave Russell
Presented by	Dina Pugliese Lindsay Ell
Judges	Stephan Moccio Measha Brueggergosman Martin Short Howie Mandel Lilly Singh Kardinal Offishall Trish Stratus Katherine Ryan Shania Twain
Country of origin	Canada
Original language	English
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	58
Production
Executive producers	John Brunton Barbara Bowlby Mike Bickerton Angela Jennings Scott McGillivray Michela Di Mondo Nataline Rodrigues Claire Adams Nanci MacLean
Producers	Mark Lysakowski Paul Becker Trevor Boris Cliff Dempster Jenny Heap Amy Regan Amy Blythe-McCuaig Andre Williamson Simon Lynch
Running time	30–120 minutes
Production companies	SYCOtv FremantleMedia Insight Productions Talkback Thames McGillivray Entertainment Rogers Sports & Media
Original release
Network	Citytv
Release	March 4, 2012 (2012-03-04) – present
Related
America's Got Talent Britain's Got Talent

Canada's Got Talent (often abbreviated asCGT) is a Canadiantalent show competition, which debuted on theCitytvnetwork on March 4, 2012.^[1] It is part of the globalGot Talent franchise.

As with other series in the franchise, the show is a competition in which entertainers in various fields compete to win a prize. In the first season, the winner won a prize of $100,000 and aNissan GT-R, an opportunity to perform during Citytv's New Year's Eve bash, a possibility to perform in a venue inLas Vegas and a trip toTrinidad and Tobago.^[2][3] In the second and third seasons, the winner received a cash prize of $150,000.^[4] In the third season finale, it was announced that the cash prize would be increased to $1 million for the fourth season.^[5]

The first season was won by theManitoba-based dance troupeSagkeeng's Finest. Citytv brought backCanada's Got Talent for a second season in 2022, ten years after the first season.^[6] In October 2021, Citytv announced thatLindsay Ell would host, along withHowie Mandel,Lilly Singh,Kardinal Offishall, andTrish Stratus serving as judges. The season premiered in March 2022, and ended in May. It was won byQuebec singerJeanick Fournier. A third and fourth season premiered in March 2023 and 2024, and were won by Quebec dance troupeConversion andSaskatchewan singerRebecca Strong, respectively. The most recent season, in 2025, was won byNewfoundland and Labrador singerJacob Lewis.

The auditions took place in front of the judges, and a live audience at different cities across Canada. At any time during the audition, the judges would show their disapproval of the act by pressing a buzzer, which lights a large red "X" on the stage. If all the judges pressed their buzzers, the act must end. Voting worked on a majority-of-two basis, where two positive votes from the judges were required.

In the first season, acts that were accepted past the audition moved on to the Judges Round (also known as "The Cutdown"). This stage of the competition did not feature any audiences, and only contained contestants performing in front of the judges. Out of all the acts that made it to this point, thirty-six made it through to the next round, which was the semi-finals. In the second season, this part of the show was removed.

The semi-finals and final were broadcast with a varying number of semi-finals, followed by the one final split into two episodes over one night. The remaining acts performed across a number of semi-finals, with the two most popular acts from each semi-final winning a position in the final. Judges could still end a performance early with three X's. The judges were asked to express their views on each act's performance. Phone lines, Twitter, Facebook, texting and online voting platforms opened for a one hour after all acts performed. The public voted for the act they thought were the best. Voters could submit a total of fifty votes (ten in each platform). After the votes were counted, the act that polled the highest number of public votes, was automatically placed in the final. The judges then chose between the second and third most popular acts, with the winner of that vote also gaining a place in the final. All other acts were then eliminated from the competition. Starting with the fourth season, the semifinals has been rebranded as the Eliminations, which is broadcast for one episode, followed by one grand finale. The remaining acts competed for three judge votes that sent them straight to the finals, and the rest competed for a Canada-wide vote that dictated the rest of the finalists.

The acts who made it past the semifinals/the Eliminations have a final shot at performing once again, and all of the acts competed for a Canada-wide vote that determined the winner of the season. This round has been broadcast live, and the winner is revealed at the end of the episode.

Canadian comedian and actor,Martin Short, was announced as the first judge on October 13, 2011. On October 17, opera singerMeasha Brueggergosman and musician/composerStephan Moccio, were announced as the two judges to join Short. Citytv Toronto personality andBreakfast Television host,Dina Pugliese, was the host of the show.^[7]

In October 2021, it was announced thatHowie Mandel,Lilly Singh,Kardinal Offishall andTrish Stratus would serve as judges for the show, withLindsay Ell as host.^[8]

In June 2024, it was announced thatShania Twain andKatherine Ryan would become judges for the fifth season, replacing Singh and Stratus.^[9]

The first season ofCanada's Got Talent aired on Citytv across Canada (and on other TV stations across the country, where there is no Citytv station),^[where?] starting on March 4, 2012.

Preliminary auditions for the first season ofCanada's Got Talent took place during fall 2011, and continued into January 2012. Auditions for the show took place inWinnipeg,Calgary,Vancouver,Montreal,Toronto andHalifax.^[1]

Acts chosen to perform in front of the host, judges and a live audience were invited back, starting in Calgary on October 18 and 19. The production tour then went to each of the original cities in October, November, December 2011 and January 2012.^[10][11] Those chosen by the panel of judges went to Toronto for the next rounds, and completed with audience voting, in April and May 2012.^[12]

Sagkeeng's Finest received the most votes from Canada, winning the first season ofCanada's Got Talent.

In June 2012, Rogers Media presidentScott Moore announced that a second season would not be produced, after a "careful consideration of all factors, including the current economic climate".^[13]

ACanadian Family's Got Talent competition was held on Citytv's morning showBreakfast Television in 2020, in acknowledgement ofCOVID-19 pandemiclockdowns across the country, and to cross-promoteseason 15 ofAmerica's Got Talent on Citytv.^[14]Simon Cowell was the sole judge of the competition. The contest was won byToronto-based singing trio CZN, consisting ofSeth Zosky, CJ Capital, and Matthew Novary Joseph.^[15] CZN later went on to compete in season 16 ofAmerica's Got Talent.

On June 8, 2021, Citytv announced that a reboot ofCanada's Got Talent would premiere in 2022; Production on the series took place in 2021; unlike the first season (which filmed auditions across the country), the entirety of the season was filmed at the Avalon Theatre atNiagara Fallsview Casino Resort inNiagara Falls.^[6][16][17] On December 31, 2021, it was announced that the revival would premiere in March 2022,^[18] which was later specified as March 22.^[19] The season was won by Quebecois singerJeanick Fournier.^[20]

Following the season two finale in May 2022, Citytv announced that it had renewedCanada's Got Talent for a new season to air in 2023; Rogers officially promoted it as being the second season ofCanada's Got Talent, not acknowledging the 2012 season.^[21][22] The auditions were filmed at the OLG Stage at the Fallsview Casino Resort from October 19 to 23, 2022. The season premiered on March 21, 2023.^[23][24][25]

In May 2023,Canada's Got Talent was renewed for a third revived season, premiered on March 19, 2024.^[5] In addition to the $1 million prize package, $25,000 will be awarded to each recipient of thegolden buzzer, making it the first known edition of theGot Talent franchise to attach a prize to the golden buzzer over and above the privilege of advancing in the competition.^[5]

The fourth revived season ofCanada's Got Talent premiered on March 18, 2025. Ell returned as host, along with returning judges Offishall and Mandel. Judges Stratus and Singh did not return, withKatherine Ryan andShania Twain joining the judging panel.^[26]

Rogers did not announce a sixth season during its 2025 upfronts, stating that the series would be placed on hiatus.^[27]

• Official website
• Production website
• Canada's Got Talent atIMDb

• 2010s Canadian reality television series
• 2020s Canadian reality television series
• 2012 Canadian television series debuts
• Canadian television series based on British television series
• Canadian television series revived after cancellation
• Citytv original programming
• Canada's Got Talent
• Canadian English-language television shows
• Television series by Fremantle (company)
• Television series by Insight Productions

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