Cao first sought public office in the 1997 provincial election, when he ran in the riding of Calgary-Fort as the Progressive Conservative.
 He was elected handily, and was re-elected in each of the next three elections.
 He supported Jim Dinning in the 2006 P.C. leadership race.

In April 2008, he was elected by his legislator colleagues as the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, defeating Len Mitzel and Bridget Pastoor in a secret ballot.
Cao would announce he would retire from the legislature in February 2015, prior to the 2015 Alberta general election which saw the Progressive Conservative dynasty end when the New Democratic Party would be elected to a majority government.
Cao's former electoral district Calgary-Fort would elect New Democrat Joe Ceci.
Cao first sought public office in the 1997 provincial election, when he ran in the riding of Calgary-Fort as the Progressive Conservative.  He was elected handily, and was re-elected in each of the next three elections.  He supported Jim Dinning in the 2006 P.C. leadership race.
In April 2008, he was elected by his legislator colleagues as the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, defeating Len Mitzel and Bridget Pastoor in a secret ballot. Cao would announce he would retire from the legislature in February 2015, prior to the 2015 Alberta general election which saw the Progressive Conservative dynasty end when the New Democratic Party would be elected to a majority government. Cao's former electoral district Calgary-Fort would elect New Democrat Joe Ceci.
Wayne Cao