Rodger Cuzner’s second annual Christmas poem, read to the House of Commons shortly before Question Period this afternoon.

Twas the week before Christmas and all over the Hill
The humbuggish Tories were imposing their will.
The stockings in Muskoka were stuffed to the brim
But life for First Nations remained woefully grim.

And at the North Pole, Santa’s problems abound
There was much work to do but no workers around.
How can we do Christmas with no reindeer or elves?
The sleigh is a wreck, there’s no toys on the shelves.

Costs have just spiraled, the elves threaten strike
They won’t work this Christmas without a pay hike.
Tory payroll taxes have taken their toll
Now unemployed elves populate the North Pole.

Federal money for deer feed and vets
Has just been re-profiled for big jails and jets.
Heartbroken children would spring from their beds
For the first Christmas ever shut down by the feds.

No presents for Christmas, Tories felt the frustration
So they saddled the elves with back-to-work legislation.
No reindeer or sleigh to fly our roof-topper?
No problem; just send in a Cormorant chopper.

The moral I share: Tories lack rhyme or reason
Nonetheless, all the best for a great Christmas season!

In other news, Parliament is looking for a new poet laureate.