Michael Cooper is the Conservative Member of Parliament for St. Albert—Sturgeon River. He was first elected in 2015, and re-elected in 2019, 2021, and 2025.
Michael serves as the Shadow Minister for Democratic Reform. He is also Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, a member of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy, and Ethics, and a member of the Joint Interparliamentary Council.
As Shadow Minister for Democratic Reform, Michael has 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 our democracy and ongoing transnational repression activities by the regime.
On the Ethics Committee, Michael has been heavily involved in investigating scandals and conflicts of interest connected to the Liberal government, standing up for taxpayers, and demanding accountability. Michael has also been regularly present at the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, and others, to hold the government to account.
Michael has served on all iterations of the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying since its inception. This includes as a member of the Special Joint Committee on Physician-Assisted Dying in 2016, which was tasked with proposing a legislative response to the Supreme Court of Canada’s Carter decision. Michael is a committed advocate for strengthening safeguards in Canada’s medical assistance in dying (MAiD) regime to protect vulnerable Canadians, and a vocal opponent of expanding MAiD to persons suffering from mental illness. He strongly believes that persons suffering from mental illness deserve help and hope to get better, not MAiD.
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. This Bill was tabled in honour of the late Constable David Wynn who was murdered in the line of duty by a career criminal out on bail. The murderer’s extensive and violent criminal history was not disclosed at the bail hearing. Wynn’s Law would have amended 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 Constable Wynn’s life.
Michael helped author Bill S-281, known as “Brian’s Bill,” named in honour of the late Brian Illesic. Brian, along with two other co-workers, was brutally murdered in an armed robbery at the University of Alberta in 2012. Brian’s Bill would spare victim’s families from the stress and trauma caused by frequent parole applications by convicted murderers. These applications can occur as often as annually after the minimum period of incarceration is served, despite that a murder conviction results is an automatic life sentence. A life sentence for the most serious offence in the Criminal Code should not result in annual parole hearings, as is the case today.
Michael has also 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 now-former 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. This small change in the Criminal Code is an important step towards better supporting juror mental health.
Prior to Michael’s appointment as Shadow Minister for Democratic Reform, he served in various other roles, including as the Deputy Shadow Minister for Justice and Deputy Shadow Minister for Finance. Michael also previously served as a member of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, the Standing Committee on Finance, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, among other parliamentary committees.
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 his election in 2015, Michael worked as a civil litigator at a leading Edmonton law firm.
