Election Chickens. Hatched.

Don't count your chickens before they're hatched -- particularly if you have your eyes on a cabinet position.

Related:

Peterborough Examiner, October 15: "Del Mastro has heard the rumours that he's being considered for the agriculture minister portfolio, but he said he'd happily serve in any role. 'I'd certainly love to have a more enhanced role,'  he said. 'The prime minister has put me in positions where he's shown an awful lot of trust and belief in my abilities. I expect my responsibilities in Ottawa will continue to grow. It helps me with respect to influence, and ultimately what I can deliver for my constituents.'

Comments

[Ann D]

That should provide Del Mastro with an excellent opportunity to educate himself about the CBC. In the past, I've been someone surprised by his lack of knowledge or understanding of the CBC's mandate and functions:

Dean Del Mastro on the CBC
"Having been in business, I was approached many times from a great deal of media that asked me to purchase commercials during their programs. I was never approached by anybody from CBC radio or any other affiliates to purchase any form of advertising on their stations."

Source: www.deandelmastro.ca/hansard/aprilmay2006.htm

From
http://anndouglas.typepad.com/one_woman_one_blog/2007/01/dean_del_mastro_1.html

Harper works in mysterious ways.

[Robert Lynch]

Well, I just finished watching CPAC and was delighted to see MP Dean Del Mastro become Parliamentary Secretary for Canadain Heritage. What a pleasant acknowledgment by PM Harper to show his confidence in MP Del Mastro, following his hard work on the Canadaian Heritage Committee last spring.
So it looks like MP Del Mastro is indeed on his way to more respect and power within the Gov't.

[Ann D]

I blogged about this because I felt, during the campaign, that people were being encouraged to vote for Del Mastro because he had the potential to become a cabinet minister. This message was conveyed in the media (see link above), online, and at face-to-face meetings.

I felt at the time that it was a highly unethical sales pitch to make about a candidate. No one has a crystal ball so no one can say ahead of time who will and will not be named to cabinet. To make this part of the bill of goods selling the attributes selling a particular candidate was very wrong -- especially given that anyone who voted for Del Mastro on this basis (because they were going to get a cabinet minister instead of a back-bencher) was misled.

It's not quite a broken campaign promise because Del Mastro didn't ever promise that he would become a campaign minister (he couldn't state that directly), but, in the public's mind, it leaves the same kind of impression of an expectation unfulfilled. It's not the way to conduct an ethical and above board campaign, IMHO.

[Wayne]

Peterborough , constituents once again shut out of a representative in cabinet position !
Under a liberal government there is no question Betsy McGregor would have been in the cabinet !

[Desiree Fawn]

Oh how I wish that man would stop terrorizing our city. :(