The Political Importance of the Calgary Stampede

The Calgary Stampede.

It is once again that time of year. People from across western Canada and beyond flock to Cowtown while dawning their finest western wear to participate in the best outdoor show on Earth. The rodeo sub-culture that completely engulfs Calgary can be witnessed everywhere, but especially during the parade, on the fairgrounds, and of course, at GMC Stadium.

While the public is busy enjoying all there is to do throughout the Stampede, there is a lesser-known side to the festivities that is no less important a facet of the event than barrel racing or bull riding.

Politics.

This isn’t just limited to MLAs and municipal leaders. Federal MPs often make their way down to Alberta’s largest city to engage in the circuit of pancake breakfasts and hospitality suites in an effort to fundraise, sell memberships, and engage with various stakeholders in a casual atmosphere. Even the Prime Minister showed up to flip a few pancakes and shake a few hands last year.

This year, the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada Pierre Poilievre will be hosting a free pancake breakfast on July 8th at MaKami College.

Throughout the duration of Stampede, those in the political game will spend many hours flipping pancakes and visiting hospitality suites around the city – especially in the downtown core. However, these events are not merely an attempt at embracing the spirit of Stampede. This is an opportunity for both politicians and various stakeholders to have plenty of face time with on another and discuss key issues going into the fall session.

After all, politics often happens behind the scenes before it ever reaches the public forum.

The headline event is often the Premier’s Stampede Pancake Breakfast, usually hosted at the McDougall Centre (Calgary’s hub for provincial governance). This year will mark the first time Danielle Smith will host the Premier’s pancake breakfast as Jason Kenney was still the party leader of the UCP in the summer of 2022.

You can also expect to find members of the NDP down in Calgary participating in the festivities. For readers making the trek to the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, we encourage you to visit events hosted by both the UCP and NDP. We will get into the why in a moment.

The Importance of Stampede to Politics in Alberta

Simply put, Stampede serves as the largest and longest open access event to political officials from all three levels of government in Canada. It gives politicians and stakeholders a great venue to make introductions, get reacquainted, and to discuss important matters where nearly all decision makers will be accessible.

Last year, the main focus of Stampede goers was to attend UCP leadership contestant events.

This year, the priority shifts to making introductions with new Cabinet ministers and connecting with newly elected MLAs (after all, there are thirty of them).

While there are plenty of familiar faces at Premier Smith’s Cabinet table, many are in new roles or are in Cabinet for the first time. This gives stakeholders an excellent opportunity to introduce your organization to key decision makers in a friendly environment and to get a foot in the door.

It is also a wise idea to use this opportunity to meet as many new MLAs as possible, even if they do not find themselves in Cabinet. Simply put, the more allies you can find to advocate on your behalf within the government caucus, the better your odds are of government relations success. If you only have so much time you can dedicate to this process, it would be prudent to do some leg work in advance of Stampede to learn more about the rookie MLAs to see if there is a logical fit for your organization.

While the focus is logically focused on meeting with MLAs on the government side, it is still recommended you find time to attend an event hosted by the official opposition. Although we are some time away from another provincial election, keeping the opposition apprised of your goals can help advance your government relations objectives as they can also be a voice for your cause. It is expected we will know with NDP MLAs will be given critic positions by the time Stampede rolls around, so stay tuned to The NEWS for updates.

Finally, we offer you one more free piece of advice if this is your first Stampede.

It’s “yahoo”, not “yeehaw”.

You can thank us later.