New MLA, And Minister, ‘Grateful’ For The Opportunity
BC Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon and new Minister of Community, Sport, and Cultural Development Coralee Oakes at June 10th swearing in ceremony photo courtesy BC Gov Photos
Quesnel, BC – It has been a whirlwind month and a half for rookie MLA, Coralee Oakes…
Not only did the former Quesnel City Councillor return the riding of Cariboo North to the Liberals – beating former NDP-turned-Independent MLA Bob Simpson in the May 14th election – but she was one of seven new MLAs tapped to serve in Premier Christie Clark’s 19-member cabinet two weeks ago.
Last Wednesday, Oakes was on-hand for all the pomp and circumstance as the Legislature resumed for a month-long summer session. "It is so incredibly difficult to describe how magnificant the process is," Oakes told 250News on Friday. "You only ever dream of having the opportunity or the privilege of being able to be in that building and to work in that building."
But the new MLA feels she’s well-equipped to tackle her job as Minister of Community, Sport, and Cultural Development. "I love the portfolio – I could not have imagined a better ‘fit’ for my skill set," she said. "As you can well imagine, the last few weeks have been a lot of briefings and (after) every single one of them, I can’t believe again how they’re interesting, they’re things I’m passionate about, they’re things that I’ve had experience with."
While some may have been surprised she made Clark’s cabinet in her first showing, Oakes said she ran a disciplined and focused campaign and didn’t let up after the election, spending the month drafting a strategic plan. "Quite frankly, I knew I had 15-minutes to meet with the Premier and let her know what I was excited and passionate about and what I hoped for this region and I took my 15-minutes and I went for it."
Oakes said she’s now been given an even greater opportunity to move her ideas forward not only for communities within her riding, but on behalf of communities across the province.
One of her biggest challenges in these early days has been eeking out time to set up a local constituency office, given just two weeks have passed from her swearing in as minister to the resumption of the Legislature. But the new MLA says she’s meeting with constituents, nonetheless. "It’s been a park bench or a coffee shop – which I think is great because, for us, it’s about going and meeting people in places that they’re comfortable with – but, I will be honest, it will be nice to have an office."
"It’s long days, it’s hard work, but for every single one of us that has this opportunity, we shouldn’t take it for granted."
Comments
It certainly would be great if she spent time and effort looking after All of her constituents.
We need representatives that are focused all aspects of the riding.
It would be great if her constituents would give her some time to get set up so she can spend more time and effort looking after all of her constituents.
She sounds very enthusiastic, very capable, very talented and eager to get to work in all aspects of the riding. And, more than anything, she needs your support, your encouragement and your feedback.
“Must be the potential pension. It can’t be anything else. Not even the power”, he said cynically.
“She sounds very enthusiastic, very capable, talented, eager, blah, blah, blah….”
Well she will have to surrender those “ideals” at the door of the legislature and become a mind numbing say the right thing drone/politician according to her party line and thought.
Don’t believe me? Just wait.
As for her ethics, she will be convinced they are expendable according to her party’s long term ideals.
Colour me cynical.
Said the one time southern US Senator to his constituents during a campaign speech, ” And them’s my principles, folks, and if you don’t like ’em, I’ll change ’em.”
BYW, do we REALLY need a ‘Ministry of Community, Sport, and Cultural Development’? Couldn’t the applications for hand-outs of our tax dollars be handled through the Ministry of Finance, with an awful lot less overhead?
Question time. What precisely is the “culture” that needs taxpayers money for development? Be specific. How does any amount of money “develop” a culture? To what end? IMO you, (as a politician)are only limited by your imagination to helping yourself to the taxpayers hard earned money to promote your agenda. Maybe this idea is promoted for the reason to incur (culture) votes during our elections.
It’s against the law to pay people to vote for a certain party. But give them a few bucks between elections, AYE, there’s the rub. Come election time, memories click in and as you vote, you say to yerself, “Who’s yer friend?”
Well, you feed it, and it grows. Then you feed it some more, and it grows some more. And pretty soon you’ve replaced the host with the… And then, those who are interested in always being ‘in control’ have the perfect scenario for ‘divide and conquer’. Which keeps them where they want to be.
Good for her. I hope she does well. But I suspect her Pollyanna outlook will be replaced with a dump truck load of real life. She will be told by the gang in Victoria a few things. Don’t question authority. Don’t be a sh*t disturber, don’t rock the boat. If your principles say to you that you agree somewhat with the opposition, you vote along party lines. Being a common sense , well meaning individual doesn’t quite cut it when advancing yer political career. Want to say what you think or feel what’s right? Ya shoulda run as an independent. Remember what Trudeau Sr. said, ” Backbenchers are a bunch of nobodies 100 yards from the House of Commons” Same for provincial legislatures. Go for it, young lady. Real political life and the way the world works awaits you.
Whatever boys…..Coralee…..if you get tired of pinching yourself, call middle finger…….
The more people become dependent on government, either through employment, government contracts or handouts, the less likely they are to vote for spending cutbacks. As Luxembourg Prime Minster Jean-Claude Junker put it, âWe all know what to do, but we donât know how to get re-elected once we have done it.â
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-commentary/breaking-the-entitlement-addiction/article627622/?service=mobile
“As Luxembourg Prime Minster Jean-Claude Junker put it, âWe all know what to do, but we donât know how to get re-elected once we have done it.â”
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Pretty good indication that “We all” really DON’T know what to do, I’d say. Either that or there’s something those elected are more afraid of than those whose votes supposedly put them where they are. The ‘money power’, perhaps? Like in those who currently enjoy a ‘monopoly’ over its creation and destruction?
Your first and most important job after you’re elected is getting re-elected. Every thing else is inconsequential.
They surrender to that basic instinct for ‘survival’, no matter what, I suppose. Too bad little Davey Barrett made being a MLA such a well paying job.
Over $ 101,000 a year now they get, so I’ve heard. That’s base rate, before any other stipends they manage to eke out as a Cabinet Minister, or flunky to one, being on some Committee, or whatever.
Gone are the days when they all had to hold down a job in their communities, or be successful in business, or be ‘of independent means’ to make ends meet ~ the MLA’s salary alone just wouldn’t cut it.
Raising their pay above sub-subsistence was supposed to ensure they wouldn’t be tempted by the siren song of corruption. Seems to me it’s just been an opportunity for ‘double-dipping’.
To quote good ol’ Trudeau Sr. he said “Ya pay peanuts, ya get monkeys”.
“As Luxembourg Prime Minster Jean-Claude Junker put it, âWe all know what to do, but we donât know how to get re-elected once we have done it”
Obviously he was not talking about the BCLiberals …
Maybe he can come to BC and learn how it is done … ;-)
And maybe learn how dependable when it comes to polling the public too. The Libs didn’t even use the catchphrase “Nix on Dix” in their adverts.
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