Barack Obama speaks to Calgarians

The 44th president of the United States is speaking at noon today at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary.

Former U.S. president Barack Obama, a Democrat, served two terms after being elected in 2008, becoming the first African-American president of the United States.

Obama is on a speaking tour of Canadian cities.

He was in Winnipeg yesterday and his only Alberta stop is in Calgary today.

Born in Hawaii, Obama worked as a law professor at the University of Chicago from 1992 until 2004, when he was elected to the U.S. Senate — the start of a long political career. He’s expected to discuss his life and presidency at the event in Calgary.

Without mentioning his successor by name, Obama told a sold-out Winnipeg crowd on Monday he wasn’t sure if his country had the leadership to avoid a period of intense trouble.

“If we had a crisis today, I’m concerned that we, at least in the United States, may not be in the habit of trying to figure things out in a common sense, practical way,” Obama said in Manitoba.

His wife Michelle Obama — who appeared in Calgary last year to a sold-out audience — plans to come back to Alberta later this month.