‘What are you doing here?': Carney makes first Stampede visit as prime minister
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.
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Montreal Gazette
an hour ago
- Montreal Gazette
Josh Freed: Celebrate Canada and Quebec by swatting bugs and jumping in a lake
Our two national holidays have come and gone, but like most Montrealers I hardly noticed them, which is usually a sign that all's well in Quebec. The two days are barometers of our political times, so here's my post-holiday review of Canada Day and St-Jean. Canada Day has never been an overly patriotic or nationalistic day, one of many advantages of being Canadian. Most Canadians traditionally celebrate by going to the country for the long weekend to smack bugs and jump in a lake. But this year Canada Day was on steroids in much of the country as people belted out the anthem, unfurled supersized U.S.-style Canadian flags and wore T-shirts saying 'Canada is not for sale' and 'Never 51!' Here in Montreal, the Canada Day parade was cancelled at the last minute, as usual. But a small informal 'march' happened in Old Montreal that attracted so many sympathetic American and European tourists, they probably outnumbered us locals, who don't always attend these things. Canada's new nationalism has also infected Quebec, where recent polls show most Quebecers are very proud to be Canadian, even more so than people in some other provinces. Many francophones are suddenly feeling sappy about maple syrup, Mounties and moose, while humming the national anthem in the shower. The secret glue that's cementing our country is U.S. President Donald Trump, who's made us all appreciate what he's threatened to take away. From coast-to-coast we're taking pride in boycotting U.S. goods and discussing where in the States we aren't going. 'So where are you NOT going this summer?' 'Oh, we're not going to Vermont or Old Orchard, like we usually do. We'll be staycationing in Snowdon instead. And where WON'T you be going?' Meanwhile, in Ottawa, our new PM, Mark Carney, gave a brief speech on July 1 about Canada being a kind, caring nation, and it rang true given that our southern neighbour has officially abandoned those virtues. Instead, the U.S. has embraced a new motto: 'Nice guys and countries finish last.' As much of the world turns crueller and more selfish, Canada is managing to look good, by just not changing much. Our PM was elected as a Liberal, but he's a former banker who's pushing his party to the centre, talking pipelines, business, and 'Build baby, build,' while still sounding liberal about social policy. So he's kind of a Liberal Conservative. Until a few decades ago, we had a party like that called the Progressive Conservatives, under leaders like Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney. But then Western 'reformers' turned it into the more radical and shrill Conservative party that Pierre Poilievre now incarnates. Lately, with Trump threatening, many Canadians were ready to move to the political centre, so the Liberals did, stealing economic policies from the Tories but staying socially liberal. Thus we elected Carney, an old-fashioned Progressive Conservative. Our new Liberal PM is actually a Red Tory. St-Jean: Canada Day's new patriotism may have stolen some thunder from Quebec's Fête nationale this June 24, though nationalism has been on the decline here for years. There was a big Rachel Ave. parade and hundreds of low-key block parties and concerts, but most Quebecers celebrated the day like other Canadians — by going to the country to swat bugs and jump in a lake. Much of the francophone media's June 24 coverage was about remembering a famous St-Jean night 50 years ago, in 1975, when more than a million people celebrated atop Mount Royal in a great wave of nationalism. One of them was me, curious to see a remarkable event that symbolized the times. I still remember the scene: There were vast mobs of people swathed head-to-toe in fleur-de-lis, and giant bonfires being lit everywhere you looked, occasionally barbecuing Canadian flags. Gilles Vigneault had just written 'Gens du Pays' for the occasion, which quickly became Quebec's unofficial national anthem, and also its Happy Birthday song, even for many anglos. The crowds sang it again and again along with 'le Québec aux Québécois' until dawn, when the police broke up the party. But as usual in Quebec, as an anglo I felt totally welcomed as part of the gang by nationalists delighted I was there to celebrate. The intensity of the nationalism was awesome and remained so for several years. Compare that with more recent St-Jean activities: genteel neighbourhood block parties attended by all ethnicities and outdoor concerts that are dwarfed by the jazz festival, which is practically Quebec's modern national holiday. Like Canada Day, June 24 has become more of a national day off. This St-Jean I didn't even see many fleur-de-lis flying on homes in my Plateau neighbourhood, which was once festooned with them. These days people are proud to be Quebecers, but proud to be Canadians, too. Quebecers aren't heading to Mount Royal in millions, but we are all thrumming proudly, pleased our province and our country feel like a refuge against a threatening world. Quebecers are still fighting for sovereignty, but like most Canadians, that's now sovereignty from the U.S. So let's thank Donald Trump for making our national holidays great again.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Calgary Stampede: What the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth says about the economy
The purple toasted cob of corn shines under the afternoon sun as 25-year-old Allison Zhou lifts it up to show her friends on the opening day of the Calgary Stampede. It's ube-flavoured and covered in white and black sesame seeds. The cost? $15. "Overpriced, but it's my first Stampede," said Zhou, who moved to the city a few months ago from Toronto. "It's very unique, so I'm down to try it." At the midpoint of 2025, it's been a tough rodeo for Canada's economy so far, ever since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, sparking a tumultuous trade war with wide-ranging impacts on consumer spending, jobs and travel plans. For all the talk of a recession, there are few signs of economic hardship as the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth kicks off in Calgary — a 10-day long celebration with midway rides, bucking broncos and dozens of concerts. Splurging and hunting for deals Colton Denis, 17, bought a SuperPass and plans to attend every single day of the Calgary Stampede. Does he have a budget? "Heck no. Spend all of it," he joked, while walking to the midway looking for pizza. "10 out of 10. This is going to be awesome." It's not just teenagers in the mood to splurge. Doug Coleman, 64, is visiting from the Maritimes to take in the festivities, and he hopes to see singer Shania Twain, this year's parade marshal, who will also be performing. This week, Coleman is firmly putting aside any thought of fiscal restraint. "I'll be OK. It's just a tap," said Coleman, motioning how he'll be paying with his credit card. "I'll buy what I want. I deserve it." There's less talk about being frugal in favour of shelling out cash for a good time. Some of the menu items on the midway include a $26 bucket of crocodile-themed lemonade, a $13 jumbo corndog, and a $16 basket of garlic parmesan fries. General admission tickets are now $25 for an adult, compared to $18 in 2015. For all the extravagant spending and often hefty price tags at an event like the Stampede, some people feel like they can still find a bargain. Fred Parafina, 55, sports a big grin as he holds up two pairs of Lane snake-skin boots he bought for his wife at a western wear shop near the midway. They're her favourite brand, and he called the $200 he spent an "amazing" deal. WATCH | Why the Stampede can be a bellwether for the economy: What the Calgary Stampede reveals about the economy 11 hours ago Duration 2:03 Record-setting chuckwagon auction set the tone The Stampede is home to the most famous chuckwagon race in the world, known as the "Half-Mile of Hell." A few months before the race, companies bid on the chance to sponsor each team and have their logos displayed on the canvas covering each wagon. The 2025 tarp auction set a record for the highest average bid. The total tally of $3.84 million fell just short of the all-time high of $4.015 million set in 2012 — the Stampede's centennial year — which included 36 drivers, compared to 27 this year. At the April auction, reigning chuckwagon champion Jason Glass hauled in the top individual bid of $230,000 from Birchcliff Energy, surpassing last year's biggest bid by $20,000. At the time, Glass called the result of the bidding "a great relief," considering the economic volatility and trade uncertainty was prominently on everyone's mind on the eve of the auction. But the economic worries of a few months ago seem largely in the rearview mirror, at least in Alberta. Oil prices this year have repeatedly soared and plummeted, like riding the Outlaw roller-coaster. Resource-based provinces including Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador are generally fairing better than trade and manufacturing-focused provinces such as Quebec and Ontario. Staycations and American visitors a boon Stampede attendance soared to an all-time high in 2024, with 1,477,953 visitors, surpassing the previous record set in 2012. Organizers are expecting similar numbers this year, possibly even bigger ones. Various passes are selling well, while premium seats for the rodeo and chuckwagons sold out before Stampede began. "There are a lot of people staying closer to home this year," said Stampede spokesperson Julie Forget. "This is one of the biggest events in Canada, and I think it's on a lot of people's bucket list to come and check out." Fewer Americans are travelling north of the border to Canada this year, although Calgary is proving to be an outlier. In April, 8.9 per cent fewer U.S. residents made the trip to Canada compared to the same month in 2024, according to Statistics Canada. The number of Americans travelling specifically by air to major Canadian airports showed a drop of six per cent in April. However, at the Calgary International Airport, the figures were completely different, with U.S. arrivals up by 29 per cent. "We think people are going to be staying closer to home and perhaps going to the Stampede," said ATB Financial chief economist Mark Parsons, who is also expecting another record-setting year for attendance. "We also see Americans continue to come to Alberta and that bodes well for visitor spending." Despite the fact that Canada is in the middle of a trade war and consumer sentiment has been rattled by inflation in recent years, there's optimism in Alberta, Parsons says, with the first-ever liquified natural gas exports this week, renewed enthusiasm to build major energy projects in the country, and relatively low interest rates. Calgary's population is booming, too, with nearly 100,000 new residents in 2024. Parsons says the Stampede is a bellwether of the overall Alberta economy because "it really sets the stage for how people are feeling." And people like Calgarian Todd Scott are feeling excited. He's arrived at the Stampede grounds with four kids in tow. His budget is "unlimited," and with food, rides and carnival games, he expects money will quickly go out the window. "The whole thing is a splurge."
Toronto Star
6 hours ago
- Toronto Star
‘What are you doing here?': Carney makes first Stampede visit as prime minister
CALGARY - 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.
