It’s pretty standard for right-wing politicians to play to their Christian supporters each December by invoking the religious roots of the Christmas tradition. The people who would object are usually considered an acceptable loss, not very likely to get on board with conservative policy priorities in the first place.

Consequently, when the United Conservative Party of Alberta (UCP) tweeted a “merry Christmas” message alongside a Nativity image emblazoned with a quote from the Book of Isaiah, they likely expected the usual objections from non-believers — it’s exclusionary, it’s hypocritical, it runs counter to key Canadian values like religious liberty and church-state separation.