Kenney hosts Premier’s Stampede pancake breakfast today in Calgary

Jason Kenney and other members of Alberta’s legislature will be dishing out free vittles this morning at Calgary’s McDougall Centre for the Premier’s Stampede pancake breakfast.

The breakfast is held annually, but the Calgary Stampede was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19 and the shadow of the pandemic hung over the premier’s 2021 breakfast.

Gone were lineups watching food being prepared on the grill, and instead, containers with pancakes and eggs already dished up were handed out.

Kenney, after declaring Alberta “open for summer” in 2021, told reporters at last year’s breakfast that his government would not be following the lead of Quebec and Manitoba by introducing vaccine passports.

But as COVID-19 case numbers surged later that year, he broke the promise and introduced a passport system which remained in effect until February.

Anger within his United Conservative Party over pandemic restrictions eventually played a role in a leadership review in the spring which prompted Kenney to step down as soon as a new leader is chosen, making today his last Premier’s Stampede breakfast as Alberta’s leader.