Service Canada sent out a memo last month advising that Christmas decorations should not be on public display at its Quebec offices.

According to a Friday report from La Presse, the memo came from Marc Simoneau and was sent to each of Service Canada's 118 Quebec offices.

Simoneau is the head of Service Canada in Quebec.

The memo said that decorations should not be displayed in places that the public would see or have access to.

But they could be displayed in employee-only areas, provided that they did not pose a safety hazard and were in good taste.

In the House of Commons Friday, Human Resources Minister Diane Finley said there is no national directive to ban decorations, and she added that as the government, "we like Christmas."

Finley's comments were in response to boisterous questioning from MPs, which forced the Speaker to call for order at one point.

Despite the holiday endorsement, Finley didn't specifically say if she would order the offices to reverse the decision to ban decorations.

CTV Montreal reporter Rob Lurie said the head of the union that represents Service Canada workers in Quebec is supportive of the contents of the decorations memo.

"The union does agree with this, saying that it will greatly cut down on complaints from people who find religious symbols to be offensive," he said.

Lurie also reported that there currently aren't any Christmas decorations up at the main Service Canada building in Montreal, despite similar displays at many other prominent public buildings in the city.

"Apparently there is no problem at Montreal City Hall, where people seem to love those decorations, nor at the Sainte-Justine hospital where they are putting a giant tree today," Lurie said.

"And there's no problem across the street at Complexe Desjardins where they have a tremendous Christmas village, which people I spoke to there say they absolutely love."