Claim OwnershipThe Big Five Podcast
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The Big Five is the quintessential Montreal podcast, and the best way to get caught up on the top stories impacting the city. Every weekday, host Elias Makos and a roster of Montreal thought leaders debate and inform.
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Joining Elias on The Big Five were Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor Jonathan Kalles, Vice President at McMillan Vantage, a national public affairs firm, and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Among the topics discussed were The Liberal government has reached a deal with China allowing 49 thousands chinese electric vehicles into the Canadian market Two potential candidates in the CAQrace are already receiving backing from several people. Energy and Economy Minister Christine Fréchette has received support from Cybersecurity and Digital Technology Minister Gilles Bélanger There have been three femicides in Quebec since the start of the year - and recent developments in two of the cases are getting attention
Elias Makos is joined by Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance, and Lea Streliski, Best-selling author, comedian and columnist. Francois Legault will remain leader of the CAQ until a new one is elected.What will your memory of Legault be as Premier? Was François Legault a good Premier of Quebec? With Legault stepping down, the question now becomes who will replace him as leader of the CAQ? Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada is entering a “new era of relations” with China. Facing declining sales, the SAQ is moving quickly to get its products in more places - and will even deliver them straight to your door.
Elias Makos is joined by Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, columnist for the Montreal Gazette, and president and founder of Trafalgar Strategies, and Trudie Mason, veteran Newscaster here at CJAD 800. U.S. President Donald Trump visited a Ford factory in Dearborn, Michigan on Tuesday, and dismissed the relevance of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, saying the U.S. doesn’t need the trade deal and that “Canada would love it.” A new Leger poll says nearly one in three Canadians are afraid that the U.S will invade Canada. As per an Op-Ed in the Toronto Star, are the Canadians that continue to move their start-up companies to the U.S., or go to school in the U.S., or vacation in the U.S. bordering on treason? As Mark Carney lands in China, state media in that country is urging Canada to break free from “U.S. influence.” Mario Roy is adamant: He is running for the Quebec Liberal Party leadership
Joining Elias on The Big Five were Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS & Graham Singh, Pastor at St-Jax Church. Among the subjects discussed on The Big Five were Inaccurate headline alert: “Canadians feel that crime is worse than five years ago, despite decline in major cities.” The city of Montreal unveiled this year’s budget yesterday Mark Carney and his delegation are off to China, the first trip by a Canadian Prime Minister in more than eight years A hockey brawl involving kids under 8 years old during the intermission of an AHL game this weekend is being investigated in the U.S. McDonald’s is “freezing” the price of a small coffee and its McValue meals as more and more customers balk at the high price of fast food.
Elias Makos welcomes in Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante, and Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia. “Montreal’s Olympic Stadium started 2026 the same way it began the 1976 Games: under construction and without a roof.” Despite Montreal’s size and appetite for the FIFA World Cup, we will be sitting on the sidelines The Quebec Liberal Party leadership race kicks off today New evidence suggests that political pressure is cratering overdose deaths.
Elias Makos is joined by Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada & Lionel Perez, Former city councillor and former leader of the Official Opposition at Montreal City Hall Among the topics discussed were Montreal’s police chief, Fady Dagher, says the mental health and homelessness situation in the city is getting worse The province’s largest health care facilities have spent over $50 million on security guards last year An Ontario court has ruled that a city’s municipal bylaw on lawns violates a citizen’s Charter right to Freedom of Expression
Elias Makos is joined by Andrew Caddell, columnist for the Hill Times and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy. & Sue Smith, a Montreal journalist and broadcaster. Among the topics discussed were After facing pressure from the opposition, Chrystia Freeland has announced that she will be resigning as MP on Friday. Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to travel to China for four days starting Tuesday next week to meet with President Xi Jinping. Quebec public servants do not want to go back to the office three days a week The Trump administration has rewritten the rules on alcohol — without saying how much is too much.
Elias Makos is joined by Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, columnist for the Montreal Gazette, and president and founder of Trafalgar Strategies & Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor Among the topics discussed were If you were in Greenland, how much would the U.S. have to pay you to become an American? What about if he wanted to buy Quebec? Charles Milliard officially launched his leadership campaign yesterday and the youth are already supporting him. Is Trudeau a good airport or a bad airport?
Elias Makos is joined by Akil Alleyne, Reporter and commentator with extensive experience analysing legal, political, and social issues and Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program, and Victor Henriquez, Public affairs and crisis management specialist at Public Strategy and Conseil. Former Quebec Premier Jean Charest says Canada needs to be vigilant and that Canada could be U.S President Donald Trump’s next target The Quebec Liberal Party has unveiled the rules for their upcoming leadership race. Charles Milliard launches his leadership campaign today. Fast-food chain McDonald’s is facing a class-action lawsuit south of the border.
Elias Makos kicks off the new year with Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante, and Political analyst Karim Boulos. Was Trump right or wrong to capture Maduro? Is the United States a force for good? Prime Minister Mark Carney’s reaction on social media to the capture of de facto leader Nicolás Maduro left many unhappy over the weekend A post on social media by the wife of Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller over the weekend has angered the president of Greenland. Former federal cabinet minister Chrystia Freeland is stepping into a new international role — appointed Monday as an economic adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky The Mach group is embarking on the conversion of its unoccupied offices into apartments
Jay Farrar, in for Elias Makos, is joined by Paul Gott, lead singer and guitarist for Montreal punk rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia and Justine McIntyre, strategic consultant and former city councillor on The Big 5. The Quebec Liberal Party has announced that a new leader will be crowned on March 14th next year. If you thought waiting at the hospital was long, imagine waiting on the phone for around two hours to talk to someone. That is what Santé Quebec is reporting regarding the average wait time to reach Info-Santé (811). A new Leger poll says only 35 percent of people believe that 2026 will be better than 2025.
Robyn Flynn, sitting in for Elias Makos, is joined by Dan Delmar, co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada and Sterling Downey, city councillor for the Desmarchais-Crawford district in Verdun on The Big 5. A segment that was dropped from the CBS investigative show “60 minutes” mysteriously showed up on Monday under the the branding of Canadian broadcaster. Mark Carney has named former Black Rock exec Mark Wiseman as Canada’s new ambassador. In a preview into what could happen after next year’s provincial election in Quebec, Alberta’s election agency has approved a proposed referendum question on the province separating from Canada.
Robyn Flynn, sitting in for Elias Makos, is joined by Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante and Andrew Caddell, columnist for the Hill Times and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy on The Big 5. Federal conservative leader Pierre Poilievre says he is ready to collaborate with his federal colleagues in the No camp if a referendum were to be held. The city of Montreal will be putting back some of the parking spots back in the Ville-Marie Borough. A new study out of Cornell University says AI chatbots can successfully convince people to change their votes.
Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia, and Akil Alleyne, Reporter and commentator with extensive experience analysing legal, political, and social issues and Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program. Christian Dubé has resigned from his position as Quebec’s Minister of Health and will sit as an independent MNA. In his year-end interviews, François Legault says that once Quebecers realize the PQ is dead serious about a referendum, their lead in the polls will evaporate. Is he right? Quebecers bought less alcohol, but paid more for it this year. How would you recap 2025?
Elias Makos is joined by Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance, and Sue Smith is a Montreal journalist and broadcaster. With Pablo Rodriguez out as leader, rumours are already swirling surrounding who will replace him. Three thousand dollars worth of food was stolen from a Metro grocery store on Monday in the Plateau. A group called Robins des ruelles says they are the ones responsible for the theft and posted an image of some of the stolen goods underneath a Christmas Tree in Parc Valois. Montreal is making it easier to live in tents along Notre-Dame Street. According to La Presse, the city will install trailers in the area starting early next year, allowing homeless people living in tents to keep warm and access basic amenities. Hockey Canada and Curling Canada say they have no plans to follow Skate Canada’s lead when it comes to future events in Alberta.
Elias Makos is joined by Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS, and Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor. Quebec Liberal Party Leader Pablo Rodriguez steps down Canada’s national figure skating body is blacklisting Alberta — saying the province is off-limits for major competitions because of its new law on transgender athletes. Laval wants to abandon its municipal policy on public art.
On this Tuesday edition of the BIG 5, Elias is joined by Neil Drabkin, is a lawyer who served as federal prosecutor and a political commentator who was a chief of staff in the Harper government and Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada. Another morning, another very bad Journal de Montreal front page for Pablo Rodriguez. The paper reports on a fundraiser held for Rodriguez in April, where up to 20 people received envelopes of $500 cash in exchange for their campaign contributions. The Bondi Beach attack has many Jewish Canadians questioning their safety here in Canada. Many are pointing out the parallels between Australia and Canada when it comes to antisemitic events of the last few years. Let’s head to Ontario, where the Ford government is pitching a big new vision for Niagara Falls — one it’s calling the “Vegas of the North.”
Elias Makos starts off the week with Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante, and Jonathan Kalles, Vice President at McMillan Vantage, a national public affairs firm, and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Fifteen people, including a 10-year-old girl, were killed in a shooting targeting the country's Jewish community at a Hanukkah event on Sydney's Bondi Beach over the weekend. In response, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada has asked police to increase security after the attack, and the SPVM say they will remain on heightened alert. A group of language experts says the federal government is sending the wrong signal by slipping into British spelling in official documents — including the 2025 budget. In a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, they argue that if Canada wants to project confidence and identity, it should start by using its own English on the page. Snow removal operations for the first big snow dump of the year are wrapping up, and one thing has become clear under the new administration: Bike paths are not the priority anymore. The city going so far as to ask cyclists to abandon their bikes and take public transit.
Elias Makos caps off the week with Lea Streliski, Best-selling author, comedian and columnist, and Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS. Information is being released about what is in the agreement in principle between the province’s family doctors and the Quebec government. A dozen former Liberal MNA’s and ministers are calling for the resignation of Pablo Rodriguez from the Quebec Liberal Party. Conservative MP Michael Ma, who represents the Ontario riding of Markham-Unionville, has crossed the floor to the Liberal Party. The Quebec government has officially adopted their bill to impose minimum French-language content quotas on major digital platforms such as Netflix and Spotify.
Elias Makos welcomes back Graham Singh, Pastor at St-Jax Church, and Sue Smith is a Montreal journalist and broadcaster. The breaking news this morning - a tentative deal between Quebec’s GPs and the government. Are breathing a sigh of relief? Quebec’s anti-corruption squad, UPAC, has announced that it will open a criminal investigation into the Quebec Liberal Party. Radio-Canada reports that the campaign headquarters for Rodriguez’ leadership run were in an office belonging to his wife. Residents in the Milton-Parc area want a homeless shelter removed from the area. The federal government’s new anti-hate speech law is making its way through parliamentary committees
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