The Big Five Podcast

Elias Makos is joined by Catherine Hogan, high school teacher at Westwood Senior High in Hudson, and Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS.

• Rogers is mandating that employees come back to the office four days a week by October, and five days a week by February of next year.
• Elections Canada has decided to go with an adapted ballot, similar to a special ballot, allowing voters to write the name of the person they&r...

Elias Makos starts the week with Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada, and Anthony Koch, Former National Spokesperson for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and current managing principal at AK Strategies.

• Montreal has fined a local church $2,500 for hosting a concert by controversial U.S. Christian musician Sean Feucht.
• We are only a c...

Elias Makos caps off the week with Neil Drabkin, a lawyer who served as federal prosecutor and a political commentator who was a chief of staff in the Harper government, and Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor.

• Five former members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team were acquitted Thursday of all charges
• Quebec City has cancelled a scheduled concert by US Christian singer Sean Feu...

Elias Makos welcomes back Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance, and Political analyst Karim Boulos.

• Fresh off cancelling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and ending that franchise’s three-decade-plus run, Paramount signed a $1.5 billion dollar deal with the creators of South Park who came back with a season premiere last night and immediately took aim at Donald Trump.
• A Quebec ma...

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 Christina Chough, Spanish teacher and Chair of the modern languages department at Dawson College.

• A new national poll finds that most Canadians, including a majority of immigrants, believe Canada is accepting too many newcomers. 
• La Presse this morning reports that parame...

Elias Makos is joined by Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy, and Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor.

• US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said President Trump views Canada as “nasty” to deal with, partly due to Canadians avoiding travel to the US and provincial bans on American alcohol
• At the Council of the Feder...

Elias Makos kicks off the week with Jonathan Kalles, Vice President at McMillan Vantage, a national public affairs firm, and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Catherine Hogan, high school teacher at Westwood Senior High in Hudson.

• A Quebec judge has sentenced a 22-year old woman who drove drunk and injured another motorist to a year in jail.
• Residents and business owners near Montreal’s Plaza Sain...

Dan Delmar caps off the week 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 Political analyst Karim Boulos.

• A St-Léonard barbershop owner says he’s being unfairly targeted by Quebec’s language watchdog over English on his storefront and Instagram
• As you heard on this program yesterday, independent city co...

Elias Makos is joined by Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance, and Jonathan Kalles, Vice President at McMillan Vantage, a national public affairs firm, and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

• Montreal city councillor Craig Sauvé has announced he's running for mayor with a new political party called Transition Montréal.
• Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced q...

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 Anthony Koch, Former National Spokesperson for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and current managing principal at AK Strategies.

• Mark Carney has changed his tune, and is now bracing Canadians for a future where U.S. tariffs against Canada rem...

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.

• Is there room for a new municipal party, this late in the game? The movement Futur Montréal has just been granted official party status by Élections Québec
• Conservative leader Pierre Poilie...

Elias Makos begins the week with guests Gabriel Retta, is a Montrealer active in politics and government service at all three levels for the last 20 years and currently serving as Chief of Staff to the Official Opposition at Montreal City Hall, and Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor.

• A powerful thunderstorm swept through Montreal on Sunday causing major disruptions across the city. 
• A new Léger survey...

Elias Makos ends the week with Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS, and Political analyst Karim Boulos.

• Donald Trump is once again threatening Canada with steep tariffs, this time a 35% duty starting August 1st. 
• Turns out that as our elbows go up, the amount we care about climate goes down
• The Gazette released its inaugural Rich List, which ranks the province’s 25 wealthiest individuals and families.
...

Elias Makos 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 Sue Smith is a Montreal journalist and broadcaster.

• Montreal’s public health authority is raising serious concerns about the pilot project allowing six convenience stores and grocery stores to sell SAQ products until 11PM, warning this increases health risk...

Elias Makos welcomes back 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 Catherine Hogan, high school teacher at Westwood Senior High in Hudson.

•  Former Amazon workers in Quebec rallied to demand unpaid severance and denounce poor working conditions
• Members of the Canadian Armed For...

Elias Makos is joined by Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor, and Raphaël Melançon, a political analyst for Noovo and CTV Montreal News at 5. He is also the president and founder of Trafalgar Strategies.

• Ottawa is pushing cabinet ministers to find deep savings ahead of the 2025 federal budget
• Quebec Premier François Legault will officially trigger a by-election today in the...

Elias Makos kicks the week off with Christina Chough, Chair of the modern languages department at Dawson College, and Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia.

• The C.D. Howe Institute says the combination of Liberal election promises and new commitments to defence spending means the deficit would hit $77 billion a year
• Big Five panelist Rapha&eum...

Elias Makos is joined by Anthony Koch, former national spokesperson for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and current managing principal at AK Strategies 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 on The Big 5.

• A majority of Canadians no longer feel welcome in the United States, accordi...

Elias Makos is joined by Caroline Codsi, founder & chief equity officer, Women in Governance and Sue Smith, a Montreal journalist and broadcaster on The Big 5.

• A new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives warns that the Liberal government’s plan to save $13 billion annually by 2028–29 through “increased efficiency” would amount to a 24% cut in public service spending, mostly targeti...