Federal Conservatives hold annual event during Calgary Stampede

A Stampede BBQ featuring the federal Conservatives Saturday night drew more than 1,000 supporters and attracted four of the five leadership candidates.

The annual event took place at Heritage Park on Saturday.

Interim leader Candice Bergen was also in attendance. She said it’s OK if party members disagree on a number of issues.

“It is OK to be a Conservative and have a different view from another Conservative on a particular issue. We are in the middle of a leadership race and I’m not naïve nor am I blind,” Bergen said.

“I know things are heating up and they have heated up during the leadership race and so they should. Leadership my friends is not for the faint of heart. I have no doubt that we will be united and strong after Sept. 10 after our new leader is announced.”

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With the exception of Scott Aitchison, the other four candidates, Pierre Poilievre, Jean Charest, Leslyn Lewis and Roman Baber were given one last opportunity to try and win over supporters.

Poilievre, who is originally from Calgary, told the cheering crowd that Canadians feel like they’re losing control of their lives. Poilievre says as prime minister, he would put them back in charge by making Canada the freest nation on earth.

“I got my values here,” he said, to loud applause and a standing ovation from some in the tent. “Values of hard work, self-reliance, independence and freedom. I was raised on those values but lately we haven’t seen a lot of freedom in this country.”

Charest said after losing three straight elections the Conservatives need to turn things around.

“In fact, Conservatives have to be the most generous political party in the world. There’s an election campaign and we say to Mr. Trudeau here, you take it,” Charest said.

“At the end of the day we need to win an election campaign and we can’t run the risk of losing that campaign. The choice you are going to be facing…is who is it who will win a national Conservative government with a made in Canada agenda.”

Charest was heckled through much of his speech by one individual who identified as a Poilievre supporter.

—With files from the Canadian Press.