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Tories, Tony Clement won’t allow the Christmas spirit to be ‘grinched’

The Harper government has slammed the door on the political correctness police.

You know the type: they appear every December, turning 'Merry Christmas' into 'Season's Greetings' and Christmas trees into holiday trees to somehow protect the non-Christians among us.

According to the QMI Agency, federal government departments across the country are being told they can celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah as they see fit.

"Christmas and Hanukkah are special times of the year that Canadians look forward to. The lights and decorations lift the spirit and instill the season with a sense of wonder and celebration," Treasury Board president Tony Clement said in a statement on Sunday.

"Whether it's displaying Christmas cards, putting up tinsel or bringing out a Menorah, federal employees have every right to celebrate the holiday season in the workplace.

"There are those who would like to snuff out the holiday spirit in the name of political correctness or expediency. Our government will not allow the Christmas spirit to be grinched."

It's a refreshing edict, in an era where it seems Christmas is being 'grinched.'

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A Globe and Mail article last year did an excellent job chronicling the most recent Christmas snubs.

Last year, the Town of Mount Royal banned all religious symbols from city property including a City Hall menorah and nativity scene that had been a Christmas staple for years.

At the Cambridge Public School in Embrun, Ont., the principal cancelled the Christmas concert because a few non-Christian students didn't want to participate.

Internationally, this year in Brussels, government officials replaced their traditional Christmas tree exhibit with an "electric winter tree."

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"I suspect that the reference to the Christian religion was the decisive factor" Councillor Bianca Debaets told reporters according to the Right Perspective.

"For a lot of people who are not Christians, the tree there is offensive to them."

Certainly, religion is a sensitive topic, but if you find it offensive, look the other way — don't stop Christians from celebrating Christmas, don't stop Hindus from celebrating Diwali and don't stop Muslims for celebrating Id.

For those that preach political correctness: for the love of god, umm, I mean, for the warm and fuzzy emotion of a unisex spiritual being or energy — please leave Christmas in Canada alone.