Nathan Matthew CooperMLA (born 1980) is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2015, 2019, and 2023 Alberta general elections to represent the electoral district of Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills in the 29th, 30th, and 31st Alberta Legislatures. 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.[1][2]
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 Speaker of the House in the Alberta Legislature on May 21, 2019 and reelected to a second term on June 20, 2023.[3][4]
He was nominated for reelection by Minister Nate Horner. Horner noted that Cooper that was "an absolute parliamentary and political nerd," and had done "a remarkable job" as Speaker of the 30th Legislature.[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 while he believed the apology was sincere, it did not go far enough to restore faith in his impartiality.[6]
