Charlotte Louise Oleson (May 17, 1932 – February 19, 2017) was a Canadian

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who was a member of the

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba () is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at List of Manitoba genera ...

from 1981 to 1990, and a

cabinet minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ' prime minister', ' p ...

in the Progressive Conservative government of

Gary Filmon Gary Albert Filmon (born August 24, 1942) is a Canadian politician from Manitoba who served as the 19th premier of Manitoba. He was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba from 1983 to 2000, and served as the premier from ...

from 1988 to 1990.

Career

She was born Charlotte Louise Kingdon, the daughter of John Clarence Kingdon and Elsie Wilmot, and was educated at Minnedosa Collegiate, the Manitoba Provincial Normal School and

Brandon College Brandon University is a university located in the city of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, with an enrolment of approximately 3,375 (2020) full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students. The current location was founded on July 13, 1899, ...

. In 1953, she married Stanley Adaljon Oleson. Prior to running for political office, Oleson raised three children and worked as librarian for the town of Glenboro and later for Glenboro Collegiate. She was a councillor in the Village of

Glenboro Glenboro is an unincorporated rural community in the Municipality of Glenboro – South Cypress within the Canadian province of Manitoba that held village status prior to January 1, 2015. it is located about 80 km southeast of the City o ...

from 1977 to 1980, and the Deputy

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of the community from 1980 to 1982. She also served as Vice-Chair of the Cypress Planning District from 1980 to 1982, and is a member of the Glenboro and Area Historical Society. Oleson was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the provincial election of 1981, winning victory in the rural riding of

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

. She was re-elected in the 1986 election, despite a credible showing from a candidate of the upstart

Confederation of Regions Party The Confederation of Regions Party (CoR) was a right-wing federal political party in Canada founded in 1984 by Elmer Knutson. It was founded as a successor to the Western Canada Federation (West-Fed), a non-partisan organization, to fight the Lib ...

. The

Manitoba New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party of Manitoba (Manitoba NDP; ), branded as Manitoba's NDP, is a social democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitob ...

won both of these elections, and Oleson sat in the opposition benches. She was re-elected again in the provincial election of 1988, as the Progressive Conservatives formed a

minority government A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in ...

under the leadership of

. On May 9, 1988, she was named Minister of Community Services and Minister of Employment Services and Economic Security with responsibility for the

Status of Women Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

. She resigned from the latter two responsibilities on April 21, 1989, to retire, and did not seek re-election in 1990. Oleson remained an active member of the Glenboro community, serving as President of the Glenboro Development Corporation, Chair of the Friends of Spruce Wood Park, and the Criddle/Vane Homestead committee until she died on February 19, 2017, at the age of 84 years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oleson, Charlotte Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba MLAs 1932 births 2017 deaths Canadian people of Icelandic descent Women MLAs in Manitoba Members of the Executive Council of Manitoba People from Minnedosa, Manitoba Women government ministers of Canada 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba