‘Plane Talk’ with Lisa Raitt: On the public’s appetite for women in politics

WATCH: Up high in the air, flying above the National Capital Region, Transport Minister Lisa Raitt reflects on her guilty pleasures and the public’s appetite for women in politics.

After surprising Tom Clark with a quick ramp check, Transport Minister Lisa Raitt took to the skies above Ottawa. Once in the air, she revealed how she gets her moment of peace and quiet, when she might tell a fib and her take on the public’s appetite for women in politics.

The full transcript of the interview is pasted below, but here are some highlights:

Guilty pleasure: Forty-four minutes of peace and quiet, watching the television show Scandal, with a glass of red wine.

When she lies: Maybe in an effort to save someone’s feelings, but never in the workplace.

Being a woman in politics: While women seem to have an advantage when it comes to trustworthiness, it seem there is a lower threshold for a woman when it comes to making mistake.

“I think … if you make a mistake or you do something, you’re far more apt to be criticized, condemned, dragged down than if you are a guy, who can roll with the punches,” she said.

Here is the full transcript of the interview:

Tom Clark:

Well as you may know, Lisa Raitt is Canada’s Transport Minister and that puts her in charge of aviation in this country, so I knew that “Plane Talk” with her would be, interesting. Take a look.

So, Lisa Raitt Minister of Transport. Welcome.

Lisa Raitt:

Yeah, thank you, Tom.

Tom Clark:

Well, this is what we’re going to be flying in.

Lisa Raitt:

Beautiful.

Tom Clark:

And, if you’ll step over here—now unfortunately, I’ve got to take a few minutes of your time because Transport Canada regulations say that I’ve got to give you a briefing.

Lisa Raitt:
Well, while we’re here, I have a little checklist I can do too while—just go ahead. I’ll do a little Transport Canada ramp check while we’re here.

Tom Clark:

You’re ramp checking me?

Lisa Raitt:

Yeah.

Tom Clark:

Alright, okay. What do you need to see?

Lisa Raitt:

Well, I would like to know whether or not you have your aircraft flight manual here?

Tom Clark:

Ah, yes.

Lisa Raitt:

Good. Cabin attendant’s log?

Tom Clark:

Huh?

Lisa Raitt:

Cabin attendant’s log?

Tom Clark:

Cabin attendants log.

Lisa Raitt:

Certificate of airworthiness?

Tom Clark:

Ah, sure.

Lisa Raitt:

Registration?

Tom Clark:

Yes.

Lisa Raitt:

Journey log book?

Tom Clark:

Yeah, see.

Lisa Raitt:

Awesome.

Tom Clark:

Okay, we’re done?

Lisa Raitt:

Well done. Yes, Tom Clark, we’re done.

Tom Clark:

Lisa Raitt:

Although they will never let me do this in real life at Transport Canada, they are far more in-depth than that, as you know.

Tom Clark:

Lisa Raitt:

Tom starts his plane.

Lisa Raitt:

Starting is good.

Tom Clark:

Lisa Raitt:

Tom Clark:

Gas, I knew I forgot something.

Lisa Raitt:

Oh that’s a, that’s a joke.

Tom Clark:

Rockliffe traffic: Charlie, Gulf, Bravo, X-ray, Papa is rolling 27.

Lisa Raitt:

Oh, up we go.

Tom Clark:

Well, we’re off.

Lisa Raitt:

Wow, just like that. Just don’t fly over Parliament Hill.

Tom Clark:

No, that’s a bad thing to do.

Lisa Raitt:

That’s a very bad thing to do.

Tom Clark:

Yeah, you get to do that once.

Lisa Raitt:

Tom Clark:

What is your greatest guilty pleasure?

Lisa Raitt:

Uhh. So, ah, what is my greatest guilty pleasure? Well, one thing I find in this job is you don’t have a lot of time to yourself which makes a lot of sense and I have two young boys, so I spend a lot of time with them and I love that, treasure that. So, the greatest guilty pleasure right now is a pretty simple thing, is watching a TV show that I like with a nice glass of red wine and not being disturbed for an hour or 44 minutes.

Tom Clark:

Okay, name of the TV show?

Lisa Raitt:

It’s ‘Scandal’.

Tom Clark:

Yeah, but what’s the name of the TV show?

Lisa Raitt:

Tom Clark:

Oh, ‘Scandal’. Okay. Under what circumstances do you lie?

Lisa Raitt:

When I told you I was okay going up in this plane.

Tom Clark:

Lisa Raitt:

Didn’t want to hurt your feelings—

Tom Clark:

Well—

Lisa Raitt:

But I’m okay up here now.

Tom Clark:

I’m very wounded right now, yeah. You weren’t worried before, you should be now.

Lisa Raitt:

Tom Clark:

How difficult has it been for you in politics because you’re a woman?

Lisa Raitt:

So, it’s a double—I’ve thought a lot about this because of some stuff that I’ve been reading lately about women in politics. It seems that if you put a picture of a woman and picture of a man to kids or to adults and ask them who would you vote for? The woman wins—the woman wins in terms of who do you trust and can you trust them. So I think on first glance, we do have an advantage in a sense because are more trustworthy. They think we’re going to advocate—maybe it’s our internal instincts—I don’t quite know what it is. It goes with the psychology but I can tell you that once you get into the politics, I think there’s a low threshold for appetite for a woman not—how do I say it—making mistakes. I think there is an appetite there for if you make a mistake or you do something, you’re far more apt to be criticized, condemned, dragged down than you are a guy, who can role with the punches, I think. And I think that’s the difference that I see and maybe that’s what you seen a lot of women shying away from, the notion of getting involved.

Tom Clark:

Someday, would you like to be prime minister of Canada?

Lisa Raitt:

I don’t think about it that way. And, I know I get this question a lot, right? It’s a tough one. I don’t see that right now. I don’t see it.

Tom Clark:

Are you avoiding my question?

Lisa Raitt:

No, I’m not. I’m not. I’m not. You know why? Because I’m being honest and truthful when I say, I don’t see myself there but you never know what happens in life and you can say absolutes absolutely.

Tom Clark:

I am going to ask you, if you would like to fly this plane?

Lisa Raitt:

I would love to.

Tom Clark:

Okay, so I’m going to take my hands off. The plane is yours.

Lisa Raitt:

Okay, I think that’s enough, Tom.

Tom Clark:

We haven’t gone anywhere.

Lisa Raitt:

I feel we—

Tom Clark:

You’re doing very well.

Lisa Raitt:

Okay.

Tom Clark:

Lisa Raitt:

So now that I have the controls, can I ask the questions?

Tom Clark:

Go ahead.

Lisa Raitt:

Okay. What scares you the most?

Tom Clark:

Being up here with you at the controls of the plane.

Lisa Raitt:

Okay, thank you. Okay, that’s fair enough.

Tom Clark:

I’m being honest.

Lisa Raitt:

What word do you overuse?

Tom Clark:

Oh—that. Oh.

Lisa Raitt:

Oh yeah, you do.

Tom Clark:

Yeah. Oh—

Lisa Raitt:

You’ve got to take the wheel. Like this is really not cool for me.

Tom Clark:

Alright.

Lisa Raitt:

Okay.

Tom Clark:

I got control.

Lisa Raitt:

Thank you.

Tom Clark:

There we go.

Lisa Raitt:

Okay, you do know what you’re doing, Tom Clark.

Tom Clark:

We haven’t landed yet.

Lisa Raitt:

No, I feel good.

Tom Clark:

Lisa Raitt:

We’re lined up.