Full Comment

The concept of the “citizen” is found rarely throughout human history, and those lucky enough to have it must guard it jealously. It is one of the most cherished ideals of our liberal, democratic societies. But the forces of globalization and progressivism, and the elites who benefit from them, are working to erode it. Victor Davis Hanson is a prominent American intellectual, a scholar of ancient Greece and military history, and a prolific commentator on contemporary U.S. politics. He joins Anthony to discuss his new book, The Dying Citizen: How Progressive Elites, Tribalism, and Globalization Are Destroying the Idea of America. (Recorded October 21, 2021.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beijing’s threats to invade Taiwan are getting serious. Military tensions are ramping up. And a war — perhaps even a Third World War — is not out of the question. It could even be inevitable. Scott Simon, co-chair of Taiwan studies at the University of Ottawa, joins Anthony to explain why he thinks Xi Jinping’s China today looks a lot like Hitler’s Germany in 1938, bullying the world to appease its territorial demands before it moves towards even more aggressive expansion. And, he says, unless Canada and the West start demonstrating more strength, we will be falling right into China’s trap. (Recorded October 21, 2021.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He became famous for refusing to back down to animal-rights protestors picketing his meat-focused Toronto restaurant, defiantly butchering and eating a leg of deer in front of them in 2018. But the climate for Michael Hunter's Antler restaurant, and for wild-game enthusiasts, remains hostile. He joins Anthony this week to discuss the devastation to restaurants caused by government pandemic policies, the suddenly soaring cost of food, and why he thinks that, despite the growing movement to get us all eating plant-based synthetic products, people are loving wild food — including game meat — more than ever. (Recorded October 13, 2021.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After their latest election loss, Canada’s Conservatives are discovering that they simply don’t have what Stephen Harper and Brian Mulroney once relied on to win federal elections. And Erin O’Toole’s shape-shifting, from a hard-right leadership candidate to a Liberal-lite campaigner, clearly didn’t prove to be the path to victory. Tasha Kheiriddin, national politics columnist for Postmedia, joins Anthony to discuss how the Tories are missing opportunities to connect with many voters naturally inclined to support a conservative vision for Canada. And the dangers that lie ahead for the party if it doesn’t learn the right lessons, fast. (Recorded October 6, 2021) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Housing prices keep soaring. Inflation is hot again. Even the upper middle class is struggling to keep up. Today, life in Canada is becoming harder than living elsewhere. Meanwhile, governments keep making matters worse by pumping out money, raising taxes and creating energy crises, while pushing elaborate economic transitions. Martin Pelletier, portfolio manager at Wellington-Altus Private Counsel, joins Anthony to discuss what we all need to know about the biggest risks to Canadians’ financial security, how we can prepare for them, and how we might even prevent some of them. (Recorded September 30, 2021.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The People’s Party of Canada didn’t elect any MPs in Canada’s recent federal vote, but its platform opposing vaccine passports and promoting free markets and reduced immigration got nearly a million votes, roughly tripling the PPC’s support over its 2019 debut at the polls. Bernier was excluded from the leaders’ TV debates and his party was hammered with negative coverage during the campaign for its anti-mask stance and for attracting certain unsavoury characters (one since-removed party official threw gravel at Justin Trudeau) — yet it still managed to double the vote share of the Greens. Bernier joins Anthony to explain why he thinks his party is much more than a protest against repressive pandemic policies. And why, thanks to the softening of the federal Conservatives and the advantages his party has earned after reaching five-per-cent support, he’s confident the PPC will be even stronger next time around. (Recorded September 24, 2021.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peter Bergen was the first journalist to produce a TV interview with Osama bin Laden in 1997, where the terrorist leader first declared war on America. In his reporting from Afghanistan since the ’90s, Bergen witnessed how the Taliban-controlled country became a safe haven for bin Laden’s al-Qaida and for global terrorism. Now, 20 years after 9/11, the Biden administration has surrendered Afghanistan to Taliban rule once again. And Bergen, author of the new book The Rise and Fall of Osama Bin Laden, joins Anthony to explain the danger the world now faces as terrorists return to their former base in Afghanistan — to train, organize and kindle a new wave of global violent jihadism. (Recorded Sept. 16, 2021.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With his journey to a majority government hitting the rocks, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is ditching his sunny ways and doing all he can to spook swing voters away from the Conservatives and frighten NDP voters into saving his Liberals from a split vote. He’s warning that Tory Leader Erin O’Toole will ban abortion, empower anti-vaxxers, and open the floodgates to more assault weapons, climate change and privatized health care. John Ivison, National Post Ottawa bureau chief and columnist for Postmedia, joins Anthony to discuss what he has witnessed on the leaders’ campaign tours, and why the Liberals’ scare tactics are more desperate, possibly dangerous, and seemingly less effective than they were last time. (Recorded September 9, 2021.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The majority of Canadians have been clamouring for vaccine passports as a way to make them feel safer about COVID-19. But while feeling safe isn’t the same as actually being safe, politicians are rushing ahead with these polarizing policies anyway. Christine Van Geyn, litigation director at The Canadian Constitution Foundation, talks to Anthony about why passport policies probably won’t work, but they will likely cause serious harm both to individuals and to our society. (Recorded September 2, 2021.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2017, Mark Norman was in line to be Canada’s next chief of defence staff — until he was accused of and criminally charged with leaking government secrets. It was an accusation that was widely seen as a political witch-hunt by the Liberal government, and the House of Commons eventually offered an all-party apology for it when the charges were dropped. Had that not happened, the retired vice-admiral and former vice-chief of the defence staff would have very likely been in charge of the Canadian Forces today. In this exclusive one-on-one interview, Norman joins Anthony to discuss the shocking Afghanistan evacuation, the threats facing Canada now, military sexual misconduct scandals, and the serious identity crisis he sees in the Canadian Forces now. (Recorded on August 4 and 20, 2021) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Federal Conservative leader Erin O’Toole takes a break from the campaign trail for an exclusive one-on-one conversation with Anthony to discuss Ottawa abandoning Canada’s allies to the Taliban, and how Conservatives, if elected, will offer a more serious foreign policy, particularly when it comes to China. O’Toole also explains why he believes the Liberals under Justin Trudeau are fumbling the economic recovery from COVID; why monetary policy is something a prime minister actually should think about; and why he thinks a Conservative government can help heal the alienation and anger that has created dangerous divisions in Canada over the last few years. (Recorded August 19, 2021) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Description: Separatism is rising in the West. Federal leaders wield fear to win power. Division and dirty politics are only getting worse. And all indications are that this election could intensify distress and disunity. Preston Manning, founder of the populist Reform and Canadian Alliance parties, joins Anthony to discuss the threat to Canada if politicians continue to perpetuate the problems that are fracturing the nation. And he explains how populism, done right, could actually be a force for good in Canadian politics. (Recorded August 3, 2021). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hollywood’s box-office formula is infected with COVID. The pandemic got audiences more used to streaming at home, instead of heading out for a pricey night at the theatre. And it doesn’t look like they’ll be racing back to the cineplex soon just for more played-out superhero sequels, pretentious dramas or preachy woke films. Mark Daniell. Entertainment editor at Postmedia, joins Anthony to talk about the way show business has had to rewrite its recipe over the last 18 months. And how Hollywood will need to work a lot harder if it wants to get regular people going out to the movies again. (Recorded August 3, 2021). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Negativity seems to be the only thing we hear from media and public officials about the virus: An endless narrative of more fear, more warnings and more waves. Throughout the pandemic, Canada has acted entirely out of proportion to the problem. And now we’re being warned that, with the Delta variant, the worst may still be to come, while rare “breakthrough” infections are played up for scary headlines. Infectious disease specialist Martha Fulford joins Anthony to discuss why it’s time to accept that the vaccines have defanged the virus, to stop being terrified, and to move on with our lives. (Recorded July 21, 2021.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s obvious: the Trudeau Liberals are prepping to call an election, apparently confident they can cruise to another victory. But Jenni Byrne knows polls and pundits have been wrong before — very wrong. Byrne was a key manager in national campaigns for Stephen Harper during his years leading the Conservatives to power from 2006 to 2015. She joins Anthony to explain why Erin O’Toole’s Conservative campaign may turn out better than the conventional wisdom believes, and why no one should assume anymore that Justin Trudeau simply can’t be stopped. (Recorded July 21, 2021). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Legendary journalist Rex Murphy joins Anthony to discuss what he sees as the deliberate destruction of Canada's history and institutions. Murphy says it's the work of a radical minority determined to impose a Great Reset on not just the national economy, but on our democracy, our culture and our society. And he explains how the Trudeau Liberals are eagerly helping it along. (Recorded July 7, 2021) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The fanatics burning down churches on Indigenous reserves and the Twitter pseudo-intellectuals who cheer them on have one thing in common: They presume to speak on behalf of Aboriginal people. Not letting First Nations speak for themselves is nothing new: if it’s not it’s church-burning cheerleaders, it’s politicians cancelling Canada Day, or environmentalists hijacking First Nations’ economic opportunities. Melissa Mbarki, a policy analyst at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute hailing from Saskatchewan’s Treaty 4, talks to Anthony about how all of them stand in the way of the genuine reconciliation with non-Aboriginal Canadians that so many Indigenous people want. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when a young, Black academic dares to criticize Black Lives Matter in the media? Her words get deleted, of course. That’s what happened to Sonia Orlu, a PhD student at Simon Fraser University, whose interview with a Canadian news station was recently erased for its “potential negative impact.” In this episode of Full Comment with Anthony Furey, Orlu explains how she came to realize that the BLM movement she once supported practices “emotional blackmail” that actually harms the Black community. And why she thinks there are many people of colour who see much more wrong with the current panic over systemic racism than self-appointed white liberal “saviours” realize. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a story so shocking it’s hard to believe. A Canadian politician laundering Asian drug money. A crime boss running Chinese gang wars from his Vancouver home. A local fentanyl super-factory capable of killing scores of Canadians. What they all have in common is their link back to Communist Chinese agents, who use criminal syndicates to corrupt Canadian officials, flood Canada’s streets with dangerous drugs, intimidate local Chinese communities, and buy up vast swaths of Canadian real estate. Anthony talks to veteran journalist Sam Cooper, whose bombshell new book, Wilful Blindness: How a Network of Narcos, Tycoons and CCP Agents Infiltrated the West, lays out in gory detail the horrifying story of how Canada is letting this happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a revolution afoot in Canada. Long-held principles about what it means to be a liberal democracy — free expression, equality under the law — are getting pushed out. Amazingly, it’s a revolt not being led by the masses, but by governments and elites. Anthony talks to law professor Bruce Pardy about the shocking speed of the transformation, and how the federal Liberal government is pushing it further with C-10, the bill that will regulate the internet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng has been at ground zero throughout the pandemic, as a critical care and palliative care doctor who has seen the worst of what COVID can do. He also has serious concerns with how governments handled an outbreak that was fatal for some, but not for the overwhelming number of people. Even now, many of the problems haven’t been fixed, but dissenting voices are silenced. Anthony discusses with Dr. Kyeremanteng what it was really like behind hospital doors, how we could have responded much better, and what we’re still doing wrong that must be fixed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With a viral pandemic raging, casual relationships suddenly faced a whole new level of danger. Dating, hook-ups, and even strip clubs were thrown into turmoil. When just a coffee with someone new could present frightening risks, let alone touching, kissing, or something more, the issue of consent took on a very different meaning. In this special pandemic check-in, Anthony talks to three guests — a single woman with an active dating life, a strip-club manager and a sex and relationship columnist — about how COVID changed everything for them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Random police stops. Provincial border guards. Free-speech restrictions. The last 15 months have arguably represented the most intense throttling of Canadian civil liberties by governments — ever. And it hasn’t stopped yet. This has all been done in the name of public health. But Michael Bryant, executive director and general counsel of the Canadian Civil Liberties Union, explains why that isn’t always the case, how the balance between rights and safety was neglected, and why the courts meant to uphold our rights haven’t been much help. (Recorded May 27, 2021). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

China has been holding Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig captive for two years as it plays “hostage diplomacy.” Ottawa seems paralyzed even as pressure mounts for difficult decisions about allowing Chinese telecom into Canada’s 5G networks and calling out credible charges of a Chinese-perpetrated “genocide” against Uyghur Muslims. Josh Rogin, Washington Post columnist and author of Chaos Under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the Battle for the 21st Century, joins host Anthony Furey to explain how China benefits from the turmoil. (Recorded May 14, 2021). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if everything the government told you about why it’s racking up huge deficits and debts wasn’t actually true? Dr. Ian Lee, a professor at Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business, explains how the federal Liberals’ recent budget is about to spend more than $100 billion solving problems that don’t actually exist — while ignoring real ones that threaten a very troubling future for Canadians. (Recorded May 14, 2021). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lindsay Shepherd went from being an unknown graduate student at an Ontario university, to becoming a subject of international controversy, all for playing a five-minute clip during a class discussion, recorded from a mainstream Canadian news program. Her professors didn’t like the conservative ideas discussed in the clip, claimed she was spreading hate and bigotry, and tried to discipline her. But she fought back. In this episode of Full Comment, Anthony Furey talks to Lindsay about her story and her new book, Diversity and Exclusion: Confronting the Campus Free Speech Crisis. (Recorded May 5, 2021). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For over a year, Canadian governments have responded to the COVID pandemic with the same lockdowns and restrictions, but are they really the best approach? Anthony talks to Dr. Jennifer Grant, a microbiologist and infectious diseases physician at UBC, about why we’ve taken the path we have and whether we can do better. Recorded April 15, 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the debut episode of Full Comment with Anthony Furey, Anthony interviews Celina Caesar-Chavannes. Caesar-Chavannes, a former Liberal MP an parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, talks about her disillusionment with Trudeau's commitments to equity and diversity, her new book "Can You Hear Me Now?" detailing her experience, and why she very publicly quit the Trudeau Liberals. Recorded April 15, 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Anthony Furey introduces Full Comment, Postmedia's new podcast for compelling interviews, controversial opinions and fascinating discussions. We'll go where other media outlets won't, ask the tough questions, and feature the colourful opinions you have come to expect from us. We're not worried about pushing buttons. We'll be bringing you interesting opinions and compelling ideas, even if they are a little bit controversial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices