Nathan Cooper (Canadian politician)
Nathan Matthew Cooper (born 1980) is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2015 and 2019 Alberta general elections to represent the electoral district of Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills in the 29th and 30th Alberta Legislatures.[1] Cooper was a municipal councillor in Carstairs, Alberta prior to being elected to the Legislative Assembly. Cooper also served as Chief of Staff to the Wildrose Official Opposition caucus.[2][3]
Nathan Cooper | |
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| 14th Speaker of the Alberta Legislative Assembly | |
| Assumed office May 21, 2019 | |
| Premier | Jason Kenney |
| Lieutenant Governor | Lois Mitchell |
| Preceded by | Bob Wanner |
| Leader of the Opposition in Alberta | |
| In office July 24, 2017 – October 30, 2017 | |
| Premier | Rachel Notley |
| Preceded by | Brian Jean |
| Succeeded by | Jason Nixon |
| Leader of the United Conservative Party Interim | |
| In office July 24, 2017 – October 28, 2017 | |
| Deputy | Mike Ellis |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Jason Kenney |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills | |
| Assumed office May 5, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Bruce Rowe |
| Carstairs Municipal Councillor | |
| In office October 18, 2010 – May 5, 2015 | |
| Succeeded by | Marty Ratz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1980 (age 41–42) York, Ontario, Canada (now part of Toronto) |
| Political party | United Conservative |
| Other political affiliations | Wildrose (until 2017) |
| Residence(s) | Olds, Alberta |
On July 24, 2017, Cooper was elected interim leader of the new United Conservative Party caucus, becoming the Leader of the Opposition in that process. On that same date, he and his interim leadership team nominally assumed the leaderships of the two parties that merged to form the UCP, the Progressive Conservatives and Wildrose. At the time, Alberta electoral law did not allow parties to formally merge. On 28 October 2017, Cooper's tenure as interim leader ended when former PC leader Jason Kenney was elected as the UCP's first full-time leader.
Cooper was elected to serve as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta on May 21, 2019.[4]
Speaker of the House
Cooper was elected Speaker of the House in the Alberta Legislature on May 21, 2019.[4]
COVID-19 letter controversy
In 2021, Cooper signed a letter opposing restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]
Cooper was widely criticized for violating the Speaker's role of impartiality and impeding his ability to moderate debate. Former Speaker David Carter has suggested that Cooper should resign or be removed by a motion of non-confidence.[6]
He later apologized for violating the Speaker's traditional role of impartiality.[7] Former Speaker Robert Wanner stated that he believed the apology did not go far enough.[6]
Electoral history
2019 general election
| 2019 Alberta general election: Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| United Conservative | Nathan Cooper | 20,516 | 78.55% | -1.21% | ||||
| New Democratic | Kyle Johnston | 3,070 | 11.75% | -5.06% | ||||
| Alberta Party | Chase Brown | 1,779 | 6.81% | 3.39% | ||||
| Freedom Conservative | Allen MacLennan | 557 | 2.13% | – | ||||
| Alberta Advantage Party | Dave Hughes | 195 | 0.75% | – | ||||
| Total | 26,117 | – | – | |||||
| Rejected, Spoiled and Declined | 120 | – | – | |||||
| Eligible electors / Turnout | 36,375 | 72.13% | 12.69% | |||||
| United Conservative notional hold | Swing | 19.87% | ||||||
Source(s)
Source: "76 - Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills, 2019 Alberta general election". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 21, 2020. | ||||||||
2015 general election
| 2015 Alberta general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||||
| Wildrose | Nathan Cooper | 10,692 | 53.4% | |||||
| Progressive Conservative | Wade Bearchell | 5,274 | 26.3% | |||||
| New Democratic | Glenn Norman | 3,366 | 16.8% | |||||
| Alberta Party | Jim Adamchick | 685 | 3.4% | |||||
| Total valid votes | 20,017 | |||||||
References
- "Wildrose nominates Nathan Cooper".
- http://www.carstairscourier.ca/article/20150203/CAR0801/302039961/-1/car/cooper-acclaimed-wildrose-candidate
- http://cooper4carstairs.com/about/
- Leavitt, Kieran (21 May 2019). "Alberta legislature's new Speaker named after United Conservative agenda laid out". The Toronto Star.
- French, Janet. "Sixteen government MLAs speak out against latest Alberta public health restrictions". CBC News. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
- "Former Alberta Speakers condemn actions of Cooper and Pitt". The Lethbridge Herald - News and Sports from around Lethbridge. 2021-04-14. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
- "Alberta legislature Speaker apologizes for condemning new COVID health restrictions". CBC News. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
 Alberta leaders of the Opposition | ||
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