Thursday, January 05, 2012 

A new list of winners has just been announced for the Order of Canada, an honour established in 1967 with the most honourable intentions. To recognize the great achievements of Canadians with a true commitment to country. To make our nation a better place to live.

But I fear this medal is no longer any of those things. The deciding panel has been handing out Orders like a fast food restaurant. The medal is like some kind of toy in a kiddie meal box. And the bureaucratic bias turns my stomach like a burger that’s been under the heat lamp for way to long.

The advisory board for the Order of Canada has handed out close to 6,000 Orders since the whole thing started. That’s well over 100 every year. Not exactly an exclusive honour.

But it’s not just the numbers that bug me here. The balance is so tilted to the left it’s giving me a kink in my back. In fact, some picks are a complete slap in the face of anyone with conservative sensibilities.

The advisory board has clearly made a call on abortion. Abortion activist Henry Morgentaler, whose clinics ended the lives of thousands of unborn children, is a member of the club.

So is Elizabeth Bagshaw, who opened Canada’s first birth-control clinic. Those who choose for the Order certainly support pro-choice. Where are the pro-life activists?

How about sexual orientation? Well there’s the controversial Sue Johanson from the Sunday Night Sex Show. A show that openly discussed anal sex and pretty much every form of sexual endeavour. Way to go Sue!

Environmental orientation? No shortage of global warming fearmongers who want to put Canada on the nut for billions in climate change reparations. This category naturally includes Saint David Suzuki, Elizabeth May and the ethically compromised Maurice Strong of UN oil-for-food fame. But there’s been no invite for converted Greenpeace founder Patrick Moore, a rational environmentalist who’s seen the light on what a sustainable economy really is.

And of course, political orientation. Sure Brian Mulroney is in there. So is Preston Manning. Natural choices. But Bob Rae? The guy who nearly destroyed Ontario’s economy?

Yet they’d sooner give other accomplished conservative premiers like Ralph Klein or Mike Harris a kick in the pants. The order has rules against giving out awards posthumously. But mark my words, they’ll be bending the rules for Jack Layton.

There has been a regurgitation of awards handed out to broadcasters and media types, but don’t expect influential conservative broadcasters like our own Ezra Levant to get one.

For all you average, hardworking, Canadian taxpayer types, is there any more stinging slap in the face or more blatant snub of the nose than the exclusion of Don Cherry? Grapes, the icon for the Canadian people? Not just for the NHL, but as a tireless supporter of both kids’ hockey and our proud military? It’s disgusting.

Look, I don’t have any proof. I don’t have any recorded confessions from advisory board members about bias. But this whole process needs a much closer look. It doesn’t pass my smell test. And it shouldn’t pass yours either. And that’s Canadian common sense.

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First posted: Thursday, December 15, 2011 08:00 PM EST | Updated: Thursday, December 15, 2011 07:58 PM EST

White liberal self-loathing. The guilt is just too much for them to bear and they want you to share in their misery.

They’re so concerned about causing offence to different cultures that they willingly push Canadian traditions and values to the sidelines.

And these modern-day Grinches have Christmas in their cross-hairs.

Their guilt trip has taken them to the North Pole.

Global warmists like Saint David Suzuki are using Santa Claus to spread their message of guilt.

They’re making a disgracefully inaccurate claim that St. Nick and his workshop needs to relocated because of melting polar ice caps due to global warming.

Christmas has always been a time to bask in Canadian traditions with friends and family.

But self-loathing Grinches want to spoil the fun.

Hey, Christmas isn’t the only game in town at this time of year.

Hanukkah’s coming up soon. But for heaven’s sake, that doesn’t mean people need to feel guilt for celebrating Christmas cheer.

In fact, Christmas is a time that all Canadians should enjoy.

For some reason, the Christmas fruit cake is getting pecked at by politically correct pigeons — because Christmas might offend someone.

What they don’t realize is that this gnashing of teeth — this obsession with avoiding offence at all costs — actually offends the majority of Canadians.

For those who think I’m being over the top, consider the posh Montreal suburb that decided to remove a nativity scene after coming under pressure from a Muslim group.

Quebec, the Catholic province, compromising Christmas!

Christmas pride is being washed away by an encroaching tide of guilt and shame.

Disagree? How comfortable do you feel bellowing out “Merry Christmas” to your colleagues at work? Or to the cashier in the store? You may as well be shouting out a racial slur.

Public schools have scrubbed Christmas out of the classroom and its spreading to school buses.

Diane Pope and Brigette Klepy, school bus drivers for the Prince Edward District School Board in Ontario, used to spruce up their buses for Christmas, but the decorations have been dismantled. And the driver’s jobs were even threatened over the incident.

Happy holidays.

Mark my words, politically correct stool pigeons are already evaluating the annual Santa Claus parade.

Scrutinizing St. Nick and his elves spreading Christmas cheer. They’re already worried about how horribly offensive such a gaudy spectacle is to people from different backgrounds.

It’s already happening in America’s heartland. The city of Tulsa, Okla., “the buckle of the Bible belt,” recently took the word ‘Christmas’ out of its annual parade.

It won’t be long before Santa himself is replaced by a group of non-denominational performers. This politically correct nonsense will spread if we don’t stop it.

It’s a gradual process of converting Christmas and other holidays into diluted celebrations of nothing at all.

We shouldn’t feel shame for who we are and what we believe in. We should all feel pride in the Canadian traditions that mark our identity.

Christmas isn’t about exclusion. It’s about the inclusion of Canadian values.

We should all celebrate Christmas. We should celebrate the festivities of other religions and cultures, too.

Wish your Jewish friends a Happy Hanukkah. Feel free to try out a fast during Ramadan. Fire up some lights for Diwali. We should all be respectful and knowledgeable of other people’s beliefs — and embrace them.

That’s how we’ll get some happy harmony. That’s exactly my point. Keep those politically correct pigeons off my Christmas fruit cake.

It’s Canadian common sense.