Prime Minister Mark Carney visits Calgary Stampede Saturday

Carney arrived in Calgary on Saturday fresh from a trip to the Middle East, which included a stop in Turkey for the NATO Summit followed by a visit to Saudi Arabia to talk trade, technology, energy, and defense.

Prime Minister Mark Carney made appearances at the Calgary Stampede on Saturday evening, stopping for handshakes and photos with Stampede-goers before taking in the chuckwagon races and Indigenous relays. Arriving near the Hitchin’ Post food booth north of GMC Stadium, Carney was immediately swarmed by people who had been enjoying food and drinks before the Evening Show. Ryland Kaiser, who had been sitting at a nearby table with his family, said he was surprised to see the prime minister walking by.

“That was the last thing that I expected today,” he said. Kaiser had greeted Carney, who then stopped to take a photo with him. “I accidentally hit him with my hat,” Kaiser laughed.

“He said, ‘Did you plan that?’ And I said, ‘No, no, that was not intentional.’ He’s a really nice guy.

“I appreciate that he came out and and said hello,” he said. “It was a great time.” Another man standing nearby, holding up his phone to capture the moment, yelled, “Hey Carney, you suck, by the way.

Get a real job.” The prime minister, however, was all smiles as he made his way through the crowd. Carney laid low at the Evening Show, going relatively unnoticed while taking in the races from behind the chutes.

Carney arrived in Calgary on Saturday fresh from a trip to the Middle East, which included a stop in Turkey for the NATO Summit followed by a visit to Saudi Arabia to talk trade, technology, energy, and defense. Earlier Saturday, he met with representatives of the Treaty 6, Treaty 7, and Treaty 8 First Nations, though topics being discussed at the meeting were not disclosed. Carney is expected to remain in Calgary on Sunday.

In a post to social media last week, Carney said he was “looking forward to spending some time back home in Alberta.” “Every year, Canadians flock to the Calgary Stampede to celebrate Alberta’s ranching heritage, Indigenous traditions, and the spirit of the West,” he said. Pipeline gets the go-ahead On July 2 — the day before the Stampede kicked off — Carney visited Calgary to announce details for a proposed West Coast pipeline with Premier Danielle Smith.

The proposed route will follow the existing Trans Mountain corridor, running from Bruderheim, Alta., to B.C.’s southwest coast, and Carney said the project will be an equal partnership between Canada and Alberta. “What we’ve agreed is that the time for action is now,” Carney said at the time. “We will continue to work together, Albertans, British Columbians, with industry and Indigenous partners at one table instead of many to deliver.”

Several other MPs have made Stampede appearances, including Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who rode a horse in the Stampede Parade on July 3 before hosting the annual Conservative Party Barbecue the day following, where he promoted western values and reaffirmed his stance against the separatist movement. In a video posted to X from the parade route, Poilievre welcomed viewers to the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. “We celebrate our history, our freedom, our hard work, and the hopeful future to come,” he said.

ddekuyper@postmedia.com