WATCH ABOVE: Finance Minister Joe Oliver joins Tom Clark for a little “Plane Talk” about why he lip sync’s ‘O Canada’ and the question you should never ask him again.
He’s not a grumpy old man. That’s a fact.
Finance Minister Joe Oliver and Tom Clark took to the skies for the fifth instalment of the Plane Talk segment.
While flying over the National Capital Region, Oliver revealed why he only lip syncs the national anthem (maybe he’s a little tone challenged) and the circumstances under which he might tell a lie.
A transcript of the segment is pasted below, and the video is above.
Time to lie? When someone asks how things are going.
Guilty pleasure? Ice cream.
Ideal talent? The ability to hold a tune.
Transcript:
Tom Clark:
At Rockliffe: Traffic, Gulf, Bravo, X-ray, Papa rolling 2-7.
Minister of Finance Joe Oliver, welcome to “Plane Talk”.
Joe Oliver:
Well thank you very much. I’m delighted, I guess to be in your hands.
Tom Clark:
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Haha I’d save that until we land and then we’ll…
Joe Oliver:
We’ll reserve judgment.
Tom Clark:
We’ll reserve judgment. I want to ask a personal question here. What is your greatest guilty pleasure?
Joe Oliver:
Well…
Tom Clark:
Just between you and me.
Joe Oliver:
Yeah, just the two of us. I’ll give you the gastronomic answer. I love ice cream and I eat it whenever I can. I guess one recent guilty pleasure and I feel guilty about it because of the time that it takes but you know, I’m so involved in what I’m doing, I need a little bit of a break from time to time and I’m sort of watching the series 24 and then the Americans which is about these Russians who are embedded in the United States under deep cover. I love that sort of stuff and you know it’s just an opportunity to veg out.
Tom Clark:
Watching television is not a guilty pleasure in my books.
Joe Oliver:
Get breaking National news
No I guess it wouldn’t be. This is true.
Tom Clark:
What talent would you most like to have?
Joe Oliver:
Well you know I used to play the piano. I love to listen to music of all kinds but I can’t sing. And it would be nice when they play O Canada not to have to lip-sync.
Tom Clark:
You lip-sync to O Canada?
Joe Oliver:
Well I’ve got to move my… you know people might think I don’t know the words.
Tom Clark:
I guess that’s important.
Joe Oliver:
Don’t ask me now because in spite of the elevation, I’m not going to do it.
Tom Clark:
So you lip-sync in deference to the people standing around you so they don’t have to hear you.
Joe Oliver:
Well yeah.
Tom Clark:
OK, all right.
Joe Oliver:
Occasionally I emit a sound but it’s a bit disconcerting.
Tom Clark:
What phrase do you overuse?
Joe Oliver:
It’s a fact that I say, some say “it’s a fact.” And the reason I do…
Tom Clark:
Sometimes when it’s not a fact?
Joe Oliver:
The reason I do. No! The reason I do is that it is a fact. That is a fact but people who may have a different view don’t regard it as the fact which it is. So sometimes that may be overused.
Tom Clark:
Okay. Another personal question for you.
Joe Oliver:
Okay.
Tom Clark:
Under what circumstances do you lie?
Joe Oliver:
Well I guess white lies are told to avoid hurting people. They’re also used when no one really wants an answer. For example, I’m often asked, and I don’t quite know why, how’s everything? Well no one really wants to know how everything is and you know they are quite happy with “fine.” So is that categorized as a lie? I don’t really think so but it’s not exactly a full disclosure.
Tom Clark:
Haha. The one thing that every politician has to do is go knock on doors and some politicians love it, some people hate it, how about you?
Joe Oliver:
Well I find it strangely addictive. I must have gone to about 37,000 doors in the period of time that I was running for office so you get to hear a lot. And you know while it isn’t statistically significant, it’s highly indicative of what the country is thinking. It’s very important to listen to your constituents. I’ll tell you an instance of that. I was having lunch… I was about to order lunch at United Bakers which is sort of an iconic restaurant in my riding just opposite my constituency office and a gentleman came up to me and he said, “are you Joe Oliver?” Yes. “Minister of Finance?” Yeah. “Well Minister, I have some advice for you. It’s very important so listen carefully. Make sure you order the cabbage rolls, they’re very delicious.”
Tom Clark:
Haha and did you?
Joe Oliver:
Well I had to. Listen to your constituents. Very important.
Tom Clark:
You didn’t sing for him did you?
Joe Oliver:
No, I’m trying to win the next one.
Tom Clark:
So if there was one occasion where you would sing publicly, where would that be?
Joe Oliver:
Well if asked, I suppose I could go to the Liberal nomination meeting in Eglinton-Lawrence. That might clear out the House.
Tom Clark:
But hasn’t Eve Adams already heard you sing? Because I heard that’s why she left the party but…
Joe Oliver:
Well that’s the first time I heard that but you know we all make our contributions in different ways.
Tom Clark:
Final question for you: what’s the most fun that you’ve had in politics?
Joe Oliver:
Some of the zingers in House were kind of fun and…
Tom Clark:
Is there one that you remember that you liked the best?
Joe Oliver:
Well someone, who maybe I won’t name, referred to me as a “grumpy old man”.
Megan Leslie: “If being a grumpy old man makes you an expert in world…”
Joe Oliver:
…and I was inspired so I got up and I said it’s one thing for this party to go to the United States and talk down a major energy project but, “it’s another thing to insult senior citizens”. The whole House… well I should say our side leapt up just shouting and screaming.
Tom Clark:
So essentially though you deny that you’re a grumpy old man?
Joe Oliver:
Right, that’s a fact.
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