Premier Danielle Smith has chosen Nathan Cooper, the Speaker of the Alberta Legislature, to serve as the province’s representative in Washington, D.C., as U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats heighten trade tensions with CanadaCooper, a United Conservative Party (UCP) MLA who has held the speaker role since the party’s 2019 election win, will succeed James Rajotte, a former Conservative MP from Edmonton who served as Alberta’s D.C. envoy for nearly five years under premiers Jason Kenney and Smith. Rajotte vacated the position shortly after Trump’s second inauguration. .The move comes at a time of significant economic uncertainty, with Trump imposing tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, and automobiles, while threatening further levies on a wider range of goods, including Canada’s film industry.To counter these pressures, Smith has frequently traveled to the U.S. in recent months, engaging with American lawmakers to advocate for Alberta’s oil and gas sector and discourage additional tariffs.Despite lacking experience in cabinet or international diplomacy, Cooper will take on the critical role of representing Alberta’s interests in Washington during what CBC News calls one of the most challenging periods for Canada-U.S. trade relations in recent years."Cooper's resignation to become an Alberta diplomat also comes on the heels of two former United Conservative members, Scott Sinclair and Peter Guthrie, being ousted from caucus and sitting as independents. This reduces the number of UCP MLAs in the 87-seat assembly to 46, at least temporarily. Forty-four seats are required for a legislature majority in Alberta when there are no vacancies," wrote CBC.Attempts by the Western Standard to reach Cooper were unsuccessful.