Nathan Cooper (Canadian politician)
Nathan Cooper | |
|---|---|
 Cooper in 2015 | |
| 14th Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta | |
| Assumed office May 21, 2019 | |
| Premier | |
| Lieutenant Governor | |
| Deputy | Angela Pitt |
| Preceded by | Bob Wanner |
| Leader of the Opposition in Alberta | |
| In office July 24, 2017 – October 30, 2017 | |
| Deputy | Mike Ellis |
| Preceded by | Brian Jean |
| Succeeded by | Jason Nixon |
| Leader of the United Conservative Party | |
Interim | |
| In office July 24, 2017 – October 30, 2017 | |
| Deputy | Mike Ellis |
| Preceded by | Brian Jean (as leader of the Wildrose Party) Jason Kenney (as leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta) |
| 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 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Nathan Matthew Cooper 1980 (age 43–44) York, Ontario, Canada |
| Political party | United Conservative |
| Other political affiliations | Wildrose (until 2017) |
| Residence(s) | Olds, Alberta, Canada |
Nathan Matthew Cooper MLA (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 first elected to serve as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta on May 21, 2019.[3]
Speaker of the House
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]
Electoral history
2023 general election
| 2023 Alberta general election: Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| United Conservative | Nathan Cooper | 18,228 | 75.29 | -3.26 | ||||
| New Democratic | Cheryl Hunter Loewen | 4,553 | 18.81 | +7.05 | ||||
| Alberta Independence | Katherine Kowalchuk | 1,140 | 4.71 | – | ||||
| Wildrose Loyalty Coalition | Cam Tatlock | 183 | 0.76 | – | ||||
Solidarity Movement |
Judy Bridges | 105 | 0.43 | – | ||||
| Total | 24,209 | 99.43 | – | |||||
| Rejected and declined | 138 | 0.57 | ||||||
| Turnout | 24,347 | 62.13 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 39,185 | |||||||
| United Conservative hold | Swing | -5.16 | ||||||
Source(s)
Source: Elections Alberta[8] | ||||||||
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
- ^ "Nathan M. Cooper | Cooper4Carstairs". Archived from the original on 2015-08-12. Retrieved 2015-05-07.
- ^ "Member Information: Nathan Cooper". www.youcount.ca. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
- ^ The Toronto Star.
- ^ a b "'Did a remarkable job': Cooper reelected as Speaker in Alberta legislature". Edmonton. 2023-06-20. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ^ French, Janet. "Sixteen government MLAs speak out against latest Alberta public health restrictions". CBC News. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ "76 - Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
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