‘Political petting zoo’: Politicos arrive to flip pancakes at Calgary Stampede

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith meets supporters at the annual Premier's Stampede breakfast in Calgary on July 8, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

The first political pancakes were flipped Thursday as party leaders from around Canada gather for the Calgary Stampede -- a can’t-miss event for politicos trying to shore up support for elections near and far.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek led an early morning crowd through a series of “yahoos” and donned aprons for the traditional flapjack toss that informally heralds the start of the rodeo that dubs itself The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.

“When the heat is coming off the griddle and you’re intensely competing to have the best pancakes, first it’s fierce competition, and then it’s a little bit of camaraderie,” Gondek said shortly after joining Smith to toss pancakes into a waiting tray.

The two successfully tossed the flapjacks without a hitch, proving themselves better with the batter than Alberta Tourism Minister Andrew Boitchenko. He sent one off the tin’s rim, bringing Smith, his boss, to swoop in and scoop it to safety with a spatula.

Smith, clad in a jean jacket and blue cowboy hat, posed for photos and did high-fives between pancake flips.

“Stampede is absolutely our history -- it’s our culture, it’s our past, it’s our present, it’s our future, it is open to absolutely everyone,” she said.

The 10-day event is an annual staple for politicos of all stripes as they hit what’s commonly known as the summer barbecue circuit, with their own problems and goals simmering in the background.

“If you want to make national news in July, this is the place to do it,” said Lori Williams, political scientist at Mount Royal University in Calgary. “Everybody shows up.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney is scheduled to host a party fundraising event on Saturday with Energy Minister Tim Hodgson and Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski. Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is also hosting a Saturday barbecue.

Alongside the Stampede looms the upcoming Aug. 18 byelection in Battle River-Crowfoot, the rural Alberta riding in which Poilievre is running after losing his Ottawa seat in the recent federal election.

Williams said Poilievre’s attendance will be a direct attempt to court voters in a vast riding, viewed to be one of the safest in the country for the party. He has recently visited towns in the riding, posting photos on social media from Stettler and Sedgewick.

The byelection involves “a community that Stampede is all about,” Williams said. “It will have greater immediacy than most Stampedes. It’s just about pressing flesh and making connections.”

But different leaders try to make different connections.

Alberta Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said he calls Stampede a “political petting zoo” and to get away from that, he says he has encouraged his caucus to visit every church pancake breakfast they can.

Nenshi, the former Calgary mayor, arrives having recently won a seat in the Alberta legislature but in a fight for his party to make gains in the polls against Smith’s UCP.

“Last year was funny, because after two years of glorious retirement (from the mayor job) and taking Stampede easy, I had just been elected (NDP) leader, so I walked into Stampede like I owned the place,” Nenshi said.

“A few people had to say, ‘You know, you’re not the mayor anymore.’ But I’m feeling great about it -- this is the best time of year.”

Smith, meanwhile, is trying to manage the recent emergence of two new conservative parties – one that’s seeking to woo separatists and the other championed by two ex-caucus members hoping to attract centrist conservatives they say have been abandoned by Smith.

“The more (Smith) leans to placate those on the far-right fringe of her party, the more challenging it could become for her to hold the centre in a general election,” Williams said.

“That, I think, is her continuing political challenge.”

Gondek, meanwhile, said she had more than a dozen events scheduled for Thursday, and that number will only climb over the next 10 days as she ramps up a re-election bid in October.

She said the key is taking things one sip at a time.

“You gotta stay hydrated,” said Gondek. “You gotta drink a ton of water.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2025.

Matthew Scace, The Canadian Press