diff --git a/src/main.cpp b/src/main.cpp
index a3032ed84..2e35d00e3 100644
--- a/src/main.cpp
+++ b/src/main.cpp
@@ -1318,12 +1318,7 @@ bool ContextualCheckShieldedInputs(
     if (!tx.vShieldedSpend.empty() ||
         !tx.vShieldedOutput.empty())
     {
-        // The nu5Active flag passed in here enables the new consensus rules from ZIP 216
-        // (https://zips.z.cash/zip-0216#specification) on the following fields:
-        //
-        // - spendAuthSig in Sapling Spend descriptions
-        // - bindingSigSapling
-        auto ctx = sapling::init_verifier(nu5Active);
+        auto ctx = sapling::init_verifier();
 
         for (const SpendDescription &spend : tx.vShieldedSpend) {
             if (!ctx->check_spend(
diff --git a/src/rust/src/sapling.rs b/src/rust/src/sapling.rs
index a3066c6a3..081180938 100644
--- a/src/rust/src/sapling.rs
+++ b/src/rust/src/sapling.rs
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ mod ffi {
     extern "Rust" {
         type Verifier;
 
-        fn init_verifier(zip216_enabled: bool) -> Box<Verifier>;
+        fn init_verifier() -> Box<Verifier>;
         fn check_spend(
             &mut self,
             cv: &[u8; 32],
@@ -52,8 +52,11 @@ mod ffi {
 
 struct Verifier(SaplingVerificationContext);
 
-fn init_verifier(zip216_enabled: bool) -> Box<Verifier> {
-    Box::new(Verifier(SaplingVerificationContext::new(zip216_enabled)))
+fn init_verifier() -> Box<Verifier> {
+    // We consider ZIP 216 active all of the time because blocks prior to NU5
+    // activation (on mainnet and testnet) did not contain Sapling transactions
+    // that violated its canonicity rule.
+    Box::new(Verifier(SaplingVerificationContext::new(true)))
 }
 
 impl Verifier {