PUBLICATION:              Vancouver Sun

DATE:                         2003.12.26

EDITION:                    Final

SECTION:                  Editorial

PAGE:                         A22

COLUMN:                  Barbara Yaffe

BYLINE:                     Barbara Yaffe

SOURCE:                   Vancouver Sun

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The 'Santas' go to a deserving handful

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Santa Claus occasionally tires of the materialism that has come to characterize Christmas. So, he has taken to rewarding worthy politicians with simple statuettes of himself, fashioned by his posse of elves.

The "Santas," as they're known, were delivered Thursday to public figures deserving of praise -- despite the fact several politicians last year complained they much preferred to receive toys.

Santas were lowered down chimneys of about a dozen political worthies.

One went to Senator Colin Kenny, an energetic Liberal who has shown surprising independence in criticizing his own Grit government.

Senator Kenny is more of an anti-senator, tirelessly heading exhaustive research projects on flaws in Canada's security and gaps in its defence capabilities.

This week a Santa was also dispatched to a Canadian Alliance MP from Alberta who has made it his business to highlight stupid spending by government.

As chair of the Commons public accounts committee, John Williams continually embarrassed the Chretien crowd by publicizing wasteful deployment of tax dollars.

Saskatchewan's Garry Breitkreuz, another Alliance MP, proved himself worthy of a Santa for a similar endeavour. For years now, albeit to little avail, Mr. Breitkreuz has been discovering, and sending out press releases about, wild overspending on Ottawa's gun registry.

  A Santa also went to Walter Robinson, who while not an MP, is likely to become one sooner rather than later -- watch for his Conservative party candidacy in an Ottawa-area riding.

The just-departed director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation not only sought out examples of dumb spending by the public sector this year but made countless constructive suggestions about creative ways to improve the tax system.

Mrs. Claus predicts Mr. Robinson one day will be Canada's finance minister -- likely on the conservative side of the Commons. 

She also put in a plug for former New Democratic Party leader Alexa McDonough.

The Halifax MP, Santa had to acknowledge, served as an example of someone who stepped down gracefully from her senior post, quietly resuming work as a contributing MP working on behalf of needier members of society.

The elves also have some influence with St. Nick. They talked him into giving figurines to a couple of less than obvious recipients: Conservative leader Peter MacKay and Alliance chief Stephen Harper.

Truth is, Santa personally doesn't think these guys are so special. But the elves were adamant: The two exhibited true leadership in undertaking a project that was long overdue -- merging their two parties. They did so in the face of heavy opposition from pretty high-ranking Tories.

The new entity is bound to be a mess at the start, which could ultimately damage both men's careers. More bold endeavours are needed in politics.

Two MPs from opposing parties found Santas under their Christmas trees Thursday morning. Bloc Quebecois MP Stephan Bergeron and Liberal MP Dan McTeague both took the effort to visit William Sampson while he was imprisoned in Saudi Arabia.

And both MPs spoke up on the poor man's behalf when doubts were raised about whether Mr. Sampson was tortured in prison.

Locally, a Santa was awarded to Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell, who in the compassion department has been making up for what's lacking in the other governing Campbell.

Larry Campbell forged ahead with his project for safe injection sites, letting absolutely nothing stand in the way. He thereby showed himself as a man of his word.

No one likes the necessity of having an injection site, but if the facility results in even one less drug-poisoned person being found dead in a back alley, Mr. Campbell's effort will have been worth it.

All rewards delivered, Santa issued a news release today announcing he and Mrs. Claus will now go on a well-deserved vacation. They've accepted an offer to relax at a fishing lodge belonging to the Irving family in New Brunswick.

The respite was particularly difficult to arrange given that dozens of Liberal politicians and their families already in residence there had to be asked to vacate.

byaffe@png.canwest.com