Carney makes first Stampede visit as prime minister

Matthew Scace · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jul 05, 2025 12:12 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

Canada's caller premier minister, champion known arsenic a buttoned-down banker, donned a cowboy chapeau and toured the stables Friday evening astatine the Calgary Stampede.

Over an hour-long circuit winding done the rodeo grounds, Mark Carney crawled into a tank, snacked astatine nutrient stations and posed for dozens of selfies, marking his archetypal sojourn to the Stampede arsenic premier minister.

"We gotta spot immoderate chuckwagons, huh," Carney said arsenic helium strolled down the Midway with an entourage of information and cameras, sampling mini doughnuts and pretzels arsenic helium made his mode to the grandstand stadium for the chuckwagon races.

The Stampede sojourn is simply a long-running contented for sitting premier ministers nary substance their governmental stripe. But it's not guaranteed: erstwhile premier curate Justin Trudeau didn't look astatine past summer's rodeo, coming arsenic his enactment struggled successful the polls.

One twelvemonth later, the Liberals' governmental fortunes person flipped, with Carney starring the enactment to a number authorities successful the caller national election. The enactment has 2 Albertans sitting successful the House of Commons contempt predictions the enactment could nab much seats successful the true-blue provinces.

Wearing dark-blue jeans, a navy athletics overgarment and cream-coloured cowboy hat, Carney was met with a lukewarm reception connected the grounds, shaking hands with amazed Stampede-goers and taking photos with employees down nutrient stands. He did not deterioration cowboy boots oregon a loop buckle, alternatively wearing brownish sneakers and a bladed belt.

"What are you doing here?" Carney jokingly said to a radical of women connected the Midway.

"What are you doing here?" 1 of them yelled back.

Later, arsenic helium walked connected the signifier earlier the chuckwagon races astatine GMC Stadium, Carney was met with a premix of boos and applause from the assemblage of astir 17,000 people.

"They're saying woo. I heard woo," the announcer said.

Carney is scheduled to be a pancake meal connected Saturday greeting and is hosting a enactment fundraiser successful Calgary aboriginal successful the day.