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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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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
Elias Makos is joined by Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance, and Political analyst Karim Boulos. Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., is stepping down in the new year as the country’s top diplomat in Washington. Two years after the government put a ban on flavoured vaping products, sales on the black market have flourished. Millions of children and teens have lost access to their accounts as Australia’s world-first social media ban has taken effect. Egypt’s football association says it wants no part of FIFA’s Pride World Cup match.
Elias Makos is joined by Victor Henriquez, Public affairs and crisis management specialist at Public Strategy and Conseil, and Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor. Steven Guilbault has decided to air his frustrations with Prime Minister Mark Carney this morning in an opinion piece in La Presse. Micheal Stern, The newly-elected mayor of Westmount has apologized after being caught on a hot mic. Robert Libman wrote an op-ed in the Gazette on the Quebec Liberals that puts it bluntly: “Fair or not, Rodriguez must step down.”
Elias Makos welcomes back Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante, and Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, columnist for the Montreal Gazette, and president and founder of Trafalgar Strategies. It's CJAD’s 80th anniversary today. What does CJAD mean to you? A surreal Friday in Washington D.C. as the world’s attention was on the FIFA World Cup Draw. Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney held a 45-minute private meeting along with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum following the draw. In a time where the province is seeing a lot of red in its finances, Premier François Legault presented his economic vision a month ago to reporters. One problem, it cost him $55 thousand to do it. That includes a nearly 15 hundred dollar Quebec Flag.
Elias Makos ends the week off with 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 Lionel Perez, Former city councilor and former leader of the Official Opposition at Montreal City Hall. Some are banking hopes on an encounter between Prime Minister Carney and President Trump on the sidelines of the FIFA World Cup draw in Washington today. A new chapter has been added to the Quebec Liberal Party crisis. The Liberal MNA for Chomedey Sona Lahkoyan Olivier has been expelled from the caucus by Pablo Rodriguez. As the polls continue to trend towards a win for the Parti Quebecois in the next provincial election, the federal government is starting to plan for a referendum vote.
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 Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance. Quebec will ban brownies – not the ones you bake, but the ones you give to buy leadership votes. Tired of a large number of students entering their stores, hurling insults, creating havoc, and stealing things, groceries and corner stores are fighting back. Quebec’s Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette says the government plans to insert the right to abortion in the CAQ’s proposed Quebec constitution — Bill 1. The Canadian government is being pulled into a heated debate over whether Ontario-made armoured vehicles should be shipped to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Elias Makos welcomes back 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. Quebec Liberal Party leader Pablo Rodriguez has expelled Marwah Rizqy from the party. Just one day after being named to the post, Marc Miller, who is now in charge of official languages, told reporters he was “fed up” with the debate over language in Quebec. The CAQ government is tackling high resale ticket prices. Bill 10 regulates ticket reselling and automatic subscription renewals. Police in Brantford, Ontario say they received multiple calls about a residence showing anti-Santa Claus signage during the city’s Santa Claus parade.
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 Jonathan Kalles, Vice President at McMillan Vantage, a national public affairs firm, and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Marc Miller has been brought into cabinet as a new Minister following Stephen Guilbeault's resignation. The RCMP is quietly grounding most of its drone fleet — not because they’re old, but because they’re Chinese. There is yet another bad story for the Liberal Party of Quebec in the Journal de Montreal this morning. New York has become the first state to pass a law targeting "personalized pricing,"
Joining Elias on The Big 5 were Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante & political analyst Karim Boulos. Among the topics discussed were 'No referendum. No corruption' – that’s the promise of a new print and social media ad campaign that the Quebec Conservative Party will start running this week With the help of Artificial Intelligence, the SPVM is watching you in real time The Liberals have struck a deal with the Bloc Québécois that would strip out a long-standing religious exemption According to documents gathered by La Presse, Ottawa wants to end remote work once and for all for its government workers, by the year 2027
Elias makos ends the week off with Andrew Caddell, columnist for the Hill Times and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy, and Daniel Tran, Director of Communication and governmental relations at Casacom. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed a memorandum of understanding yesterday. The agreement between Carney and Smith did come at a cost for the Prime Minister as Steven Guilbault resigned from his ministerial duties over the deal. Quebec Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette is defending the government’s Quebec Constitution bill. Candidates for the NDP leadership “debated” in “French” last night.
Joining Elias on The Big 5 this morning were Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance & Lea Streliski, Best-selling author, comedian and columnist. Among the topics discussed A Quebec judge has sparked controversy by allowing a man accused of criminal harassment in a domestic-violence case to remove his anti-proximity bracelet so he can spend the winter in Florida — despite allegations he’d already breached his release conditions Transit related violent crime across the country is on the rise in the past decade Prime Minister Mark Carney proclaimed over the weekend that Canada no longer has a foreign feminist policy Just in time for the holidays, Loto-Quebec has begun its first-ever collaboration with the wholesale giant, selling “$1,000 en folie” tickets
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