Alberta will try to name rodeo its official sport for 2nd time

A bill aimed at making rodeo Alberta’s official sport is getting a ride through the legislature.

On Thursday, Camrose MLA Jackie Lovely tabled Bill 205, the Official Sports of Alberta Act.

“The sport commonly known as rodeo, including chuckwagon racing, is hereby recognized and declared to be the official sport of Alberta,” the bill read after its introduction in the legislature.

“I believe that the inclusion of chuckwagon racing is essential to rodeo, and chuckwagon racing is quality family entertainment,” Lovely said Thursday, according to Hansard. “These activities are wholesome, family-oriented and an important pillar of our cultural foundation in rural Alberta.”

Calgary North MLA Muhammad Yaseen introduced a similar private members’ bill in December 2020 and a committee report recommended that it proceed with the next steps to become law.

On March 22, 2021, eight UCP MPs spoke about the importance of rodeo to the province in debate, including Lovely.

“Here in Canada, our official winter sport is ice hockey, with our official summer sport being lacrosse. Did you also know that Saskatchewan’s official sport is curling? It has been like this since 2001,” she said at the time, according to Hansard.

“It’s time for Alberta to follow suit and recognize our official sport.”

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Edmonton Southwest MPP Thomas Dang expressed concern that his colleagues would use up time on a bill they apparently already supported.

“I simply cannot understand why the government and the UCP are debating assent to their own private members’ bill when all UCP members on the private members’ committee have backed the bill to go ahead,” Dang said, according to Hansard.

“It’s on this side to be able to make sure they show there’s a reason for consent,” Chestermere-Rocky View MLA and then Minister for Culture, Multiculturalism and the Status of Women Leela Aheer said per Hansard.

“In fact, I would suggest that the data applied here shows not only the importance of rodeo, but all the other important pieces that rodeo applies to that have a huge impact on this province.”

That session of the legislature ended on February 16, 2022, leaving Bill 212 unfinished.

With the Camrose backbench reintroducing the bill, it still needs to complete three readings and receive royal assent before becoming law.

And it has until the provincial election – 29 May 2023 – to do so, or to give another decisive blow.

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