Repulsive and Wrong’: Inside Politics Panel Explodes Over Poppy Ban Ahead of Remembrance Day

This week’s episode of Inside Politics erupted into one of the most passionate debates of the season, as host Kevin Klein and his Winnipeg Sun colleagues clashed over reports from Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan that people were being told not to wear poppies in courtrooms. What began as a discussion about judicial policy turned into a blistering critique of what the panel described as “woke overreach” and the erosion of Canadian identity.

Lawyer Lawrence Pinsky delivered one of the night’s sharpest rebukes. “This is utter nonsense,” he said flatly. “The notion that wearing a poppy is somehow political is a bastardization of the very concept of politics. It’s wrong—repulsive, even.” Pinsky pointed to Manitoba’s own courts, where displays commemorate members of the bar who served and died in the World Wars. “Our courts honour sacrifice. They don’t silence it,” he added. He warned that such rulings reflect a deeper misunderstanding of what it means to be Canadian. “This is part of an age of DEI and misplaced guilt that’s corroding national pride.”

Klein echoed his frustration. “These are liberal-appointed judges bringing ideology into the last place it belongs—the courts,” he said. Former broadcaster and columnist Geoff Currier brought a personal dimension to the conversation, sharing stories of relatives who fought and died in past wars. “The poppy is not political—it’s sacred,” he said. “When a judge forbids it, that’s disturbing.”

Political scientist Royce Koop added that Canada’s tradition of shared civic observance was being lost under the guise of neutrality. “Judges should be impartial, yes, but impartiality doesn’t mean erasing symbols of sacrifice,” he said. “The poppy is different—it’s the symbol of what binds us together.”

As the discussion intensified, the panel questioned whether Canada is losing confidence in its own history. Pinsky described a growing “embarrassment at being Canadian,” while Klein lamented that “our heroes are honoured abroad more than at home.” The group agreed that this controversy could have been a pivotal moment for Prime Minister Mark Carney to speak up. “This was a golden opportunity for national unity,” Klein said. “The Prime Minister could have reminded Canadians that freedom and justice exist because of those who sacrificed for them.”

The panel closed by warning that if Canadians fail to defend their symbols, they risk forgetting what those symbols represent. As Pinsky concluded, “This isn’t just about a flower—it’s about the soul of our country.”