Backing Canadians to embrace opera (4)
I believe the answer is:
aida
'opera' is the definition.
(Verdi opera)
'backing canadians to embrace' is the wordplay.
'backing' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'to embrace' indicates a hidden word (the answer is embraced by part of the clue).
'adia' is hidden within 'canadians'.
'adia' back-to-front is 'AIDA'.
(Other definitions for aida that I've seen before include "eponymous heroine" , "Covent Garden production?" , "Princess" , "Verdi's Egyptian opera" , "She dies with Radams (Verdi)" .)