Just like in COVID, Canadians embrace government overreach...

Nova Scotia's actions are unconstitutional but will anyone care? Seniors defending Carney and a new podcast on Russia.

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There is no doubt that Nova Scotia’s ban on walking in the forest is unconstitutional, the question is, will people accept it?

My guess is that the answer is yes, the majority will accept the ban.

Will the courts?

In my experience, courts in Canada tend to support the status quo of the Laurentian Elite and only step out of line when pushing a left-wing agenda. For example, the whole bike lane as a Charter right thing or the push by some judges to throw cases out on racial grounds that make no sense.

Last week, the government of Premier Tim Houston took some pretty dramatic steps to try and curb forest fires in the province.

The Province is restricting travel and activities in the woods because continued hot, dry conditions have greatly increased the risk of wildfires.

The restrictions, effective as of 4 p.m. today, August 5, include:

• hiking, camping, fishing and the use of vehicles in the woods are not permitted

• trail systems through woods are off limits

• camping is allowed only in campgrounds.

These and other measures are in place on provincial Crown and private land until October 15 or until conditions allow them to be lifted. The fine for violating the restrictions is $25,000.

The government’s decision to extend the ban until October 15 and to impose a $25,000 fine make this hard to defend from a Charter perspective. The infringement is not minimal - say for a short week or two window - and the fine is excessive.

My Sun colleague Joe Warmington interviewed Air Force veteran Jeff Evely who challenged Nova Scotia’s ban, it’s worth the read.

“I fought it last time they did that and I am fighting it this time,” he said. “It’s just a walk in the woods.”

That walk in the woods saw Evely slapped with a $25,000 fine which after some extra fees and taxes could cost him $28,872.50. Evely is right to say these actions are an overreach by government, Warmington is right to call it all Orwellian, but will the people of Nova Scotia care?

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms and the Canadian Constitution Foundation both appear set to launch legal challenges, which brings me back to my earlier point.

Just like in COVID, I think the majority of people will support this and I don’t have much faith that the courts will find these actions unconstitutional. When it suits them, judges have a way of finding a way out of applying the Charter, or of invoking section 1, the notwithstanding clause for judges.

And since a large swath of Canada’s population just wants someone to look after them, protect them, the people of Nova Scotia will accept all of this.

That’s just my prediction.

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Seniors for Carney...

Speaking of people wanting someone to look after them, I’ve been hearing from lots of older voters who think I should just support whatever Prime Minister Mark Carney is doing because he is protecting Canada. How do I know that so many of these emails are from older voters? Because they tell me their age quite often in the emails.

My column published online Saturday has been the most read piece at the Sun since it was posted.

Lots of people are agreeing with me that as more and more tariffs go up, like softwood lumber on Friday night, that it is clear that Carney’s plan isn’t working.

Then there are those who hate any criticism of their dear leader, here’s a sampling.

“Your articles about our PM are awful. Are you hoping we get into a war with the United States? You're sounding very maga and that's the last thing we need,” Judith wrote to me.

“Get behind him like most other Canadians ! .in The US When a clown becomes a king , the Government becomes a circus.. so support our Prime Minister , he is negotiating with a deranged President! .. it’s too easy to criticize!” Vince wrote ignoring all rules of grammar and spacing.

“Instead of bashing our Prime Minister why not try getting behind him like most Canadians are. Your article is just negative bs and you sound like a pessimist. Do your job and report what's really going on! Carney, the only qualified person to lead our glorious country, is doing a good job,” Jo-Ann wrote.

I didn’t realize that there was only one person in the entire world qualified to lead our country and it was Mark Carney.

Then there were truly insane suggestions like this one from people who really do want to go to war with the United States.

“Canada needs a credible military deterrent (nukes) prior to joining a tit-for-tat trade war with the Americans. Their tariffs are more imperial ambitions than economic policy,” Paul wrote.

Let me state clearly, there is no war with the United States, there will be no war with the United States. Even on trade, the Americans say they are not engaged in a trade war, they are in negotiations with us while changing the rules of the game.

We are engaged in a trade war with the Americans though and as I keep pointing out, our tactics aren’t working, and we need to adjust.

Seems to some, suggesting ways that your country can succeed in the trade negotiations amounts to treason if it deviates from what our Liberal government is currently proposing.

Great books that have been or will be profiled soon on Full Comment.

Oh those Russians…

Over the past while, we’ve pivoted the Full Comment Podcast, which I host, to be very much a topical political affair. We stay on top of the stories that are happening and I bring you in-depth interviews and discussions.

This time of year, with vacations taking people away, we tend to focus on books and authors that we think will be interesting.

Today’s episode is also timely with Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump meeting in Alaska this Friday.

I had a chance to interview Andrew Natsios, a former politician, former administration official and a current academic. He is the editor of a book called Russia Under Putin.

I thought it was a fantastic chat with Andrew and I hope you enjoy it.

Official show notes from the episode.

A lot of people in the West misunderstand the motives of Russian president Vladimir Putin in his war against Ukraine. As Andrew Natsios, editor of the new book Russia Under Putin, tells Brian, we won’t understand the war unless we understand demographics. Russia’s population is cratering; the largest country by land mass is rapidly depopulating and becoming vulnerable, particularly to China. While posing as a defender of traditional values has won Putin fans among some American right-wingers, it’s a sham, used for propaganda purposes, and even Russians don’t believe it, says Natsios. He shares his fascinating insights into Putin’s power, tactics and fears for anyone who wants a genuine understanding of what the authoritarian Russian leader is really up to. (Recorded July 28, 2025)

Get the podcast mic that I trust and use, the Shure MV7+ with XLR and USB C.

Israel is not the villain…

The push is still on to make Israel out to be the bad guy in every scenario, including getting food to civilians.

Talked about this last week with Adrienne Batra and Warren Kinsella.