Coralee Ella Oakes (born 1972) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

politician, who was elected to the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia () is the deliberative assembly of the Legislature of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The other component of the Legislature is the lieutenant governor of British Columbi ...

in the 2013 provincial election. She represented the electoral district of

Cariboo North Cariboo North is a former provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. It was created by 1990 legislation dividing the previous two-member district of Cariboo, which came into effect for the 1991 BC e ...

as a member of

BC United BC United (BCU), known from 1903 until 2023 as the British Columbia Liberal Party or BC Liberals, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party has been described as conservative, neoliberal, and occupying a centre-right ...

. Oakes served in Cabinet as Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, and then Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction, and Minister Responsible for the Liquor Distribution Branch. In Opposition, she has served as the Official Opposition critic for Small Business; for Advanced Education, Skills Training & Sport; and for Post Secondary Education. She was elected by her colleagues in 2022 to chair the then BC Liberal Party caucus. Oakes is a former two-term Quesnel city councillor and executive director of the Quesnel and District Chamber of Commerce since 1999. As a result of her community work, in 2007 Oakes was appointed by the province to the Small Business Roundtable to represent the rural voice of small business. This work led her to be appointed to the Minister's Council on Tourism in 2009. Oakes is the past president of the British Columbia Chamber Executives and has served as a director on the BC Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Chamber of Commerce Executives, Cariboo Chilcotin Tourism Association and numerous local not-for-profit organizations. On September 12, 2024, Oakes announced her intention to run as an independent in

Prince George-North Cariboo Prince George-North Cariboo is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. Created under the 2021 British Columbia electoral redistribution, the riding was first contested in the 2024 British Columb ...

for the

2024 British Columbia General Election The 2024 British Columbia general election was held on October 19, 2024, to elect 93 members (MLAs) of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Legislative Assembly to serve in the 43rd parliament of the Provinces and territories of Cana ...

. She was unseated by

Sheldon Clare Sheldon Clare is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2024 British Columbia general election. He represents the electoral district of Prince George-North Cariboo as a member of the Conservat ...

from the

Conservative Party of British Columbia The Conservative Party of British Columbia, commonly known as the BC Conservatives and colloquially known as the Tories, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. It is the main rival to the governing British Columbia New Demo ...

Electoral record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oakes, Coralee Living people 1972 births BC United MLAs Women government ministers of Canada Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia Women MLAs in British Columbia 21st-century Canadian women politicians 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia Independent politicians in Canada