CALGARY, Alberta — As the Canadian national team prepares to face Morocco today in its first-ever knockout match in a men’s World Cup, Canada’s political elite will be donning cowboy hats and boots.
The Calgary Stampede, an annual spectacle, draws politicians and lobbyists who attend the first four days for networking, strategy sessions, and socializing—often all at once. The event lures Ottawa’s political scene and Toronto’s influencers westward with its chuckwagon races and grandstand performances. In between indulging in pancake breakfasts, watching the rodeo, and mingling at endless receptions, they squeeze in important meetings.
Upon arrival in Canada’s largest inland western city, federal politicians face scrutiny: Do they look the part? Can they flip a pancake? Do they genuinely seem engaged?
Today, those eager to tap into the latest wave of Canadian patriotism might find it challenging. One of Saturday’s major political gatherings, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Calgary Stampede Mixer, kicks off at noon, just an hour after the Canada-Morocco match begins in Houston.
Had the attendees remained in Ottawa, scheduling might have been simpler. The federal Department of Canadian Heritage, tasked with promoting “Canadian identity and values, cultural development, and heritage,” is organizing a watch party at LeBreton Flats Park.
“From coast to coast to coast, the country is rallying behind the team as they write an incredible FIFA World Cup story,” said Adam van Koeverden, Canada’s secretary of state for sport, in a press release. The event underscores the government’s view of the tournament as a soft power opportunity. “It’s undeniable in moments like these that sport is a great nation-builder, and we can build Canada strong through sport.”
POLITICO’s Canada Playbook will publish special editions from Calgary Stampede this weekend. You can subscribe here.
