Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press From left, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Northwest Territories Premier Robert McLeod flip pancakes at an annual breakfast in Calgary on July 8, 2019.

CALGARY — Five premiers donned cowboy duds and flipped pancakes at a Calgary Stampede breakfast hosted by Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. Kenney is meeting with Ontario’s Doug Ford, Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe, New Brunswick’s Blaine Higgs and Bob McLeod of the Northwest Territories ahead of this week’s Council of the Federation meeting in Saskatoon. The visiting premiers were presented with white cowboy hats, a Calgary honour that has been bestowed on royals and other dignitaries, as well as western belt buckles. Each premier had a turn at flipping and serving pancakes for a large, mostly friendly crowd.

A handful of people showed up to voice their displeasure of a United Conservative Party (UCP) education bill in Alberta that they say puts gay and transgender students at risk. Two women wearing T-shirts reading “outing kids is not in my job description” tried having their pictures taken with Kenney. Another woman wearing a rainbow “Born this Way” flag as a cape said she was hoping to buttonhole her legislature member at the breakfast to make her concerns known. “I came here as an ally for the LGBTQ community because the UCP recently passed Bill 8 without adding any of the crucial amendments put forward by the official Opposition that would have helped ensure that (gay-straight alliances) stayed protected both in public and private schools,” Victoria Goleski said Monday.