Michael Cooper is the Conservative Candidate for the new riding of St. Albert-Sturgeon River.

First elected in 2015, re-elected in 2019, and again in 2021, Michael has served as the member of Parliament for St. Albert-Edmonton.

Michael served as the Shadow Minister for Democratic Reform. In the 44th Parliament, Michael also served as the Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, and as a Member of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics.

Since being elected, Michael has been a strong advocate for victims of crime and strengthening Canada’s criminal justice system. In 2016 Michael sponsored Bill S-217, known as Wynn’s Law, in honour of the late Constable David Wynn who was shot and killed by a career criminal out on bail. Wynn’s Law would amend the Criminal Code to make it mandatory for the criminal history of bail applicants to be disclosed at bail hearings, something that could have saved the life of Constable Wynn.

Recently, Michael helped author Bill S-281, known as “Brian’s Bill”, named in honour of the late Brian llesic. Brian, along with two other co-workers were brutally murdered in an armed robbery at the University of Alberta in 2012. A third co-worker survived but with severe life-altering injuries. Brian’s Bill would amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to reduce the frequency of parole hearings for convicted murderers. If passed, Brian’s Bill would spare victim’s families from the stress and trauma caused by frequent parole hearings. Parole hearings can occur as often as annually once convicted murderers serve their minimum sentence, despite that most convicted murderers have little to no chance of ever being released from prison.

Michael introduced and sponsored legislation to carve out an exception to what is known as the jury secrecy rule to better support juror mental health. Working with Conservative Senator Pierre Boisvenu, Michael’s efforts were successful with the passage of Bill S-206 in the fall of 2022. The Bill amends the Criminal Code so that former jurors suffering from mental health issues arising from their jury service can disclose all aspects of their jury service with medical professionals without criminal penalty. It is modeled after legislation successfully implemented in the Australian State of Victoria. This small change in the Criminal Code will go a long way to support juror mental health.

Michael is a committed advocate for strengthening safeguards in Canada’s medical assistance in dying (MAiD) regime to protect vulnerable Canadians. He has also been a vocal opponent of expanding MAiD to persons suffering from a mental health disorder. Michael brings significant experience to the MAiD file having served as the Vice-Chair of the Special Joint Committee on Physician Assisted Dying in 2016, and recently as the Vice-Chair of the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying.

As a leading advocate for strengthening relations with Taiwan, Michael introduced Bill C-343, the Canada-Taiwan Relations Framework Act. Modeled after the U.S. Taiwan Relations Act, the Bill proposed establishing a framework for strengthening Canada-Taiwan relations.

As Shadow Minister for Democratic Reform, Michael played a leading role in scrutinizing the Liberal government’s record of inaction in the face of interference by the Beijing-based Communist regime in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. As a member of the Ethics Committee, Michael has played a key role in investigating the many scandals and conflicts of interest connected to the Trudeau-Carney Liberals, standing up for taxpayers and demanding accountability.

Michael is a lifelong resident of St. Albert and an active community volunteer. He is a Lector at St. Albert Catholic Parish and a member of the Knights of Columbus, St. Albert Rotary Club and the St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce.

A graduate of the University of Alberta, Michael received a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws, both with distinction. He was called to the Alberta Bar in 2010. Prior to being elected Michael worked as a civil litigator at a leading Edmonton law firm.