K.d. lang invites Jason Kenney to Calgary Pride

CALGARY — Alberta crooner k.d. lang has invited Jason Kenney to Calgary’s Pride festivities, but it appears he won't be attending.

The country singer took to Twitter on Tuesday to offer Kenney — a leadership candidate for the province’s new United Conservative Party — free tickets to a concert if he’d sit down and discuss LGBTQ rights with her.

Lang’s offer followed a tweet from blogger Mike Morrison, who also invited Kenney on Twitter to attend Pride.

It all stemmed from a statement Kenney’s spokeswoman, Annie Dormuth, issued Monday, saying he would skip the annual parade because he wasn’t invited.

In response to lang’s invitation, another spokesman, Blaise Boehmer, tweeted that Kenney was “100% focused” on the leadership campaign and had a “packed week meeting with members.”

Calgary Pride begins Friday and ends Sept. 4. The marquee parade will be held on Sept 3.

While lang and Morrison were urging Kenney to attend, parade organizers made it clear on the weekend that the United Conservative Party was not welcome because the party doesn’t have a clear stance on sexual diversity issues.

Leadership candidate Brian Jean said he hoped they would reconsider, noting he had asked to march in the parade and has always championed diversity and tolerance. Jean’s campaign organizers said he might try to attend as a spectator.