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

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

who was a member of the

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (french: Assemblée législative du Manitoba) is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at provincial gener ...

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’, � ...

in the Progressive Conservative government of

Gary Filmon Gary Albert Filmon (born August 24, 1942) is Canadian politician from Manitoba. He was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba from 1983 to 2000, and served as the 19th premier of Manitoba from 1988 to 1999. Political care ...

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 enrollment of 3375 (2020) full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students. The current location was founded on July 13, 1899, as Brandon C ...

. 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 urban 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 of B ...

from 1977 to 1980, and the Deputy

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a 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 responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

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 statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

. 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 Libe ...

. The

Manitoba New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party of Manitoba (french: Nouveau Parti démocratique du Manitoba) is a social-democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial wing of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba C ...

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 (government), cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or Coalition government, coalition of parties do ...

under the leadership of

. On May 9, 1988, she was named

Minister of Community Services Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

and Minister of Employment Services and Economic Security with responsibility for the Status of Women. 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