Why are Trudeau and Singh avoiding Stampede this year?
More than a million people are expected to visit the Calgary Stampede making it an ideal event for political photo-ops. But this year, only Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre will be saddling up for the event, while both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh will stay away.
Political watchers say the absence of Trudeau and Singh are calculated defensive moves to protect against friendly fire they may encounter at the outdoor festival.
Other than during the COVID pandemic, Trudeau has visited the Calgary Stampede every year since becoming leader of Liberal party in 2013, which is why his absence is glaring.
"This could be the beginning of a bunker mentality," says CTV News pollster Nik Nanos. The data scientist says the prime minister may be trying to avoid facing tough questions from constituents and caucus members following the stunning loss of a Liberal stronghold to the Conservatives in a recent Toronto byelection.
Circling red wagons
The loss of a riding that the party held has raised concerns that every Liberal seat is at risk, including the riding of MP George Chahal, who was the only Grit to win in Calgary in the 2021 election.
Mount Royal University political science professor Lori Williams says Chahal’s call for an urgent caucus meeting may have factored into Trudeau’s decision not to attend.
"It may be the combination of appearing alongside someone who seems to be questioning the future of the party or maybe even of the leadership," Williams said.
The Liberals only won two seats in Alberta, but currently hold 74 in Ontario.
Instead of flipping pancakes at a Stampede breakfast hosted by Chahal on the opening weekend of the festival, as he did in 2023, the prime minister is choosing instead to attend an Islamic cultural event in the Greater Toronto area to shore up support in battleground Ontario.
"Let’s face it there aren’t a lot of Liberals in Alberta. Why spend your time in Alberta when for Justin Trudeau the real game is in Toronto and Montreal,” says Nanos.
The Prime Minister will leave for Washington, D.C. on Monday morning to attend the NATO Summit which officially begins Tuesday, July 9.
In a new addition to his schedule, senior government sources say Trudeau will meet with U.S congressional representatives for “Team Canada” talks before the defense summit begins.
While in Washington, the Prime Minister will meet with leaders from the United States Senate and House of Representatives, including Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell to discuss “securing the supply chain” for critical minerals and electric vehicles.
The orange agenda
The NDP leader is also a regular Stampede visitor, but Singh won’t be there this year due to "scheduling conflicts." But he could also be seeking space away from his provincial counterpart Naheed Nenshi who has become a "frenemy."
"The Alberta NDP are popular but they want to sever links with the federal NDP," says Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt. "It’s not a big deal if (Singh) doesn’t come. They have zero seats in Calgary."
After winning the leadership of the Alberta NDP in a landslide, Nenshi, the former mayor of Calgary, announced his intentions to move forward with a membership vote to separate the provincial New Democrats from its federal branch.
The only seats the NDP hold in Alberta federally are in Edmonton.
But Anne McGrath, principal secretary to the federal NDP leader, says the party is in a strong position to expand its support. For the first time in nearly a decade, McGrath says the party is debt free and is "building a war chest" to fight the next election.
The strategy to win more than its current 25 orange seats begins with splashy new ads urging voters to "change the rules" by voting NDP to take on corporate greed.
Instead of wearing cowboy boots at the Stampede, Singh will be launching his summer tour with a town hall in the riding of Vancouver-Granville, where the party lost to the Liberals by just 431 votes in the 2021 election.
Singh will travel across Canada this summer to hold town halls in cities where the NDP sees potential for growth.
McGrath says New Democrats will take advantage of the "disarray" in the Liberal party during planned town halls scheduled for Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, St. John’s and Yellowknife.
"The people in those cities are looking at the Trudeau government and the fact that it has not really been capable of making the system work for people and right now is very much mired in a lot of internal division and caucus issues," McGrath said.
Impending Blue Wave
While his two opponents shy away from the Stampede, Pierre Poilievre will don his Stetston and appear at multiple events, including a fundraiser that is expected to draw a large crowd and deep pockets.
The Conservative leader’s popularity was not impacted by a gaffe last year when Poilievre took a photo with a fan wearing an anti-LGBTQ2S+ T-shirt declaring "Straight Pride."
In the 12 months since, Poilievre has grown and solidified a double-digit lead over the Prime Minister in opinion polls.
This story has been updated with new information regarding the Prime Minister’s itinerary.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatens to cut off energy to U.S. in response to Trump's tariffs
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has threatened to cut off energy supply to the U.S. in response to the tariffs President-elect Donald Trump plans to impose on all Canadian imports.
Elon Musk calls Justin Trudeau 'insufferable tool' in new social media post
Billionaire Elon Musk is calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'an insufferable tool' in a new social media post on Wednesday. 'Won't be in power for much longer,' Musk also wrote about the prime minister on 'X.'
Trudeau will have to 'kiss the ring' to achieve smoother bilateral relations with Trump: John Bolton
If Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants to get on U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's good side for the sake of a smooth bilateral relationship, he'll likely have to be openly deferential, says former U.S. National Security Advisor, John Bolton.
MAID cases rose to 15,000 in 2023, but growth of cases halved
More than 15,000 people received medical assistance in dying in Canada in 2023, but federal statistics show the growth in cases has slowed significantly.
Luxury real estate brokers charged in federal indictment with sex trafficking in NYC
Two luxury real estate brokers and their brother have been charged with luring, drugging and violently raping dozens of women over more than a decade.
Police locate labyrinth of tunnels connecting tents to generator in Hamilton encampment
Hamilton police say that they discovered a series of 'man-made holes and tunnels' during a patrol of a downtown encampment earlier this week.
Certain foods may disrupt your body's fight against cancer cells, study says
The food you eat may be affecting your body’s ability to fight cancer cells in the colon, according to a new study.
Banks lower prime rates following Bank of Canada move
Canadian financial institutions are lowering their prime lending rates to match the decrease announced by the Bank of Canada.
Toronto agency launches court challenge against new law that would shutter some supervised consumption sites
A social agency that runs a supervised consumption service (SCS) in Toronto’s Kensington Market has launched a court challenge against new legislation that will see 10 such sites shuttered across the province, arguing that the law violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Local Spotlight
North Pole post: N.S. firefighters collect letters to Santa, return them by hand during postal strike
Fire departments across Nova Scotia are doing their part to ensure children’s letters to Santa make their way to the North Pole while Canada Post workers are on strike.
'Creatively incredible': Regina raised talent featured in 'Wicked' film
A professional dancer from Saskatchewan was featured in the movie adaptation of Wicked, which has seen significant success at the box office.
Montreal man retiring early after winning half of the $80 million Lotto-Max jackpot
Factor worker Jean Lamontagne, 63, will retire earlier than planned after he won $40 million on Dec. 3 in the Lotto-Max draw.
Man, 99, still at work 7 decades after opening eastern Ontario Christmas tree farm
This weekend is one of the busiest of the year for Christmas tree farms all over the region as the holidays approach and people start looking for a fresh smell of pine in their homes.
Saskatoon honours Bella Brave with birthday celebration
It has been five months since Bella Thompson, widely known as Bella Brave to her millions of TikTok followers, passed away after a long battle with Hirschsprung’s disease and an auto-immune disorder.
Major Manitoba fossil milestones highlight the potential for future discoveries in the province
A trio of fossil finds through the years helped put Manitoba on the mosasaur map, and the milestone of those finds have all been marked in 2024.
The 61st annual Christmas Daddies Telethon raises more than $559,000 for children in need
The 61st annual Christmas Daddies Telethon continued its proud Maritime tradition, raising more than $559,000 for children in need on Saturday.
Calgary company steps up to help grieving family with free furnace after fatal carbon monoxide poisoning
A Calgary furnace company stepped up big time Friday to help a Calgary family grieving the loss of a loved one.
'A well-loved piece': Historic carousel display from Hudson’s Bay Company store lands at Winnipeg shop
When a carousel setup from the Hudson’s Bay Company became available during an auction, a Winnipeg business owner had to have it.