Alberta Speaker picked as Washington envoy [Video]

Premier Danielle Smith will send Speaker Nathan Cooper to Washington as the provincial representative, at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats put the Canada-U.S. trade relationship at its most precarious state in years.

Cooper has never held a cabinet post or worked in international affairs, but has been legislature Speaker since the UCP formed government in 2019.

He will replace James Rajotte, the former Edmonton Conservative MP who was the D.C. envoy under former premier Jason Kenney and Smith for nearly five years before stepping aside after Trump’s second inauguration.

The appointment, first reported Wednesday by CBC News, was confirmed later in the day by Cooper and the premier.

“In this evolving landscape, Alberta must maintain and build on our ties with U.S. officials, and Nathan Cooper is the right choice to fill this important role,” Smith said in a news release.

Cooper announced his new role in the legislature chamber, …