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Carney makes first Stampede visit as prime minister

Carney makes first Stampede visit as prime minister

CBC10 hours ago
Canada's new prime minister, best known as a buttoned-down banker, donned a cowboy hat and toured the stables Friday evening at the Calgary Stampede.
Over an hour-long tour winding through the rodeo grounds, Mark Carney crawled into a tank, snacked at food stations and posed for dozens of selfies, marking his first visit to the Stampede as prime minister.
"We gotta see some chuckwagons, huh," Carney said as he strolled down the Midway with an entourage of security and cameras, sampling mini doughnuts and pretzels as he made his way to the grandstand stadium for the chuckwagon races.
The Stampede visit is a long-running tradition for sitting prime ministers no matter their political stripe. But it's not guaranteed: former prime minister Justin Trudeau didn't appear at last summer's rodeo, coming as his party struggled in the polls.
One year later, the Liberals' political fortunes have flipped, with Carney leading the party to a minority government in the recent federal election. The party has two Albertans sitting in the House of Commons despite predictions the party could nab more seats in the true-blue provinces.
Wearing dark-blue jeans, a navy sport coat and cream-coloured cowboy hat, Carney was met with a warm reception on the grounds, shaking hands with surprised Stampede-goers and taking photos with employees behind food stands. He did not wear cowboy boots or a belt buckle, instead wearing brown sneakers and a thin belt.
"What are you doing here?" Carney jokingly said to a group of women on the Midway.
"What are you doing here?" one of them yelled back.
Later, as he walked on the stage before the chuckwagon races at GMC Stadium, Carney was met with a mix of boos and applause from the crowd of approximately 17,000 people.
"They're saying woo. I heard woo," the announcer said.
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Winnipeg memorial site for Flight PS752 victims 'a powerful step' toward justice: family members

CBC

timean hour ago

  • CBC

Winnipeg memorial site for Flight PS752 victims 'a powerful step' toward justice: family members

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How a Canadian's AI hoax duped the media and propelled a 'band' to streaming success

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time2 hours ago

  • CBC

How a Canadian's AI hoax duped the media and propelled a 'band' to streaming success

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Calgary Stampede welcomes RCMP Musical Ride
Calgary Stampede welcomes RCMP Musical Ride

Calgary Herald

time2 hours ago

  • Calgary Herald

Calgary Stampede welcomes RCMP Musical Ride

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