Michael Cooper is the Conservative Member of Parliament for St. Albert—Edmonton. First elected in 2015, Michael was re-elected in 2019, and again in 2021. Michael serves as the Shadow Minister for Democratic Reform, and as a member of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.

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.

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.

Michael has 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 from premature death. 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, in June 2021, Michael introduced Bill C-315, 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. The Bill did not progress due to the call of the 2021 election. In June 2023, Michael introduced similar legislation, Bill C-343.

Michael has worked tirelessly to hold the Liberal government accountable. As Shadow Minister for Democratic Reform, Michael has played a leading role in demanding accountability for 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. He also played a key role as a member of the Justice and Finance Committees when hearings were held on the Liberal government’s SNC and WE Charity scandals.