BC Business
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How did you piece this ensemble together? I like to mix and match. The leather jacket is from somewhere like Club Monaco or Banana Republic, the skirt’s St. John Knits and this is just a Gap T-shirt. My choices tend to be things that stand up pretty well no matter how many hours you’re sitting or if you have to sleep in your outfit. Do you find your appearance scrutinized a lot? I don’t see any difference in what’s happening to me now in politics versus when I was on television or head of the CBC. I used to get calls and letters at Canada AM if someone thought my skirt was too short. It’s always a background noise. Does it get irritating? No. I haven’t had any comments in the last couple of years about my clothes. But there was the matter of your shoes. That’s because there’s a big tradition on budget day of looking at the shoes. At the last budget, the press said you dropped $600 on a pair of Gucci pumps. They weren’t that much. But I’m not commenting on that. You were quoted in the media saying you were being treated differently as a woman and people were angry about it. I certainly heard from a lot of people who were upset at some of the games that were played about the whole thing, but I’m staying out of that discussion. What’s the biggest misconception people have about your job? People often feel managing a surplus is easy, but the reality is that even in good economic times, B.C. taxpayers can’t afford to do everything everyone wants all at once. How do you maintain your composure under the spotlight? You can be any kind of woman as long as you are concentrating on the job. I only try to be true to myself and my values and my family. I’m sorry if somebody doesn’t like the clothes I choose, but that’s me. I’m not going to change because I’m in politics.