Anti-UCP protesters beat their drum as thousands attend Smith's pancake breakfast

CALGARY — A smattering of protesters tried to dampen the mood Monday morning at Premier Danielle Smith’s annual Stampede pancake breakfast outside the McDougall Centre in downtown Calgary.The demonstration took place as Smith, visiting Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas, cabinet ministers and United Conservative Party MLAs served pancakes to thousands of attendees at one of the largest political events of the Calgary Stampede..Long lines stretched around the block surrounding the McDougall Centre as thousands of people waited to attend the breakfast.Attendance appeared to rival last year’s event, which drew more than 4,000 people — the largest turnout in more than a decade.Despite the large crowd, a handful of protesters gathered near the event carrying signs critical of Smith and the UCP government..Some signs accused the premier of being a “traitor,” while others criticized government policies related to public education, health care, the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), anti-coal development and government transparency.Messages displayed by protesters included “Where’s the transparency?”, “Leave medical decisions to doctors, not politicians,” “Listen to teachers about classrooms, not politicians,” and “Hands off our CPP, our healthcare and our water.”Other signs referenced transgender youth policies, judicial independence and public services, with slogans such as “Albertans deserve better services,” “Justice for all — be open and keep our courts balanced,” “ADAP = Poverty” (referring to the Alberta Disability Assistance Program), and “UCP government: incompetent, lying.”Another protester held an “Alberta Beyond Coal” sign, while one sign compared the Alberta government to the US-based “Make America Great Again” movement, displaying the phrase “MAGA Maple.”.The protest comes as Alberta remains in the midst of a heated political debate over provincial sovereignty and the October 19 referendum.Smith has repeatedly stated that both she and the UCP support “a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada” and has said she will vote for Alberta to remain part of Canada in the upcoming referendum.

Anti-UCP protesters beat their drum as thousands attend Smith's pancake breakfast

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