Oakville's Santa parade passed Saturday with no such controversy.

Not only was Oakville's Mayor Rob Burton and his wife Wendy, in the parade, but so too were Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr, Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn, Oakville MP Bonnie Brown and Turner.

The Milton Santa committee decided not to have Turner, Carr or Halton MPP Ted Chudleigh in the parade this Sunday for several reasons including the fact it's running out of space for floats, said committee secretary-treasurer Mike Ricker.

"We also feel the politicians really don't have a lot to do with Christmas," noted Ricker. "The kids who come out don't care about politicians."

He explained the committee opted to just have Krantz appear in the parade because "he's the mayor and it is Milton."

He also pointed out that the Town allows the committee to close roads for the parade and awarded the group a grant from the Milton Community Fund for safety-related equipment.

But the whole thing isn't sitting well with Turner, who acknowledged that while it's important for residents to interact with the mayor, it's equally important for them to interact with their MP.

"If they (kids) don't care about politicians, this is a good way to make sure they never care," he contended. "To shield kids from the political process -- what does that accomplish? Politicians aren't evil people. They're representatives of the community."

So what does the feisty MP plan to do about the situation?

"I'm going to show up and walk with my dog. I don't need a car," he said. "I'll take up very little space."

The notion of Turner making a surprise appearance has Ricker and the volunteer-run committee concerned.

"It puts us, as a committee, in a very difficult situation and our credibility will be extremely jeopardized with both Mr. Chudleigh and Mr. Carr," Ricker said in an e-mail to Turner's office.

Ricker also told The Beaver he's concerned the controversy will lead to many members of the committee not returning to help out next year.

"It's got to the point where I want to quit the parade," he said. "I've volunteered 200 or 300 hours this year. To throw our credibility down the drain... He just wants to promote himself rather than the well-being of the whole parade."

But Turner said Ricker's latter statement is "the most partisan thing I've ever heard."

"It's not about me -- it's about the office," he argued. "I'm the member of parliament, and I was asked by the community to represent the community to the government."

Ricker also pointed out that Turner didn't submit an entry form for the parade -- something that's required.

When told of the need for an entry form, Turner said, "Since when does a member of parliament have to register for a community event?"

He noted he was invited to be in the Oakville and Campbellville parades, didn't have to register and is having a car and driver provided at both events.

But Ricker strongly defended the integrity of Milton's parade.

"It has a reputation of being one of the best in the area," he said.

Both Chudleigh and Carr expressed disappointment about not being in the local parade, but agreed it's up to the committee to decide who's in the parade and who's not.

"It's something I always look forward to, but I will respect their wishes," said Carr.

In addition to the lack of politicians this year, Ricker said the committee is also putting a limit of the number of entries (70) in the parade and encouraging the commercial floats to be more Christmas-focused.