The Big Five Podcast

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 Neil Drabkin is a lawyer who served as federal prosecutor and a political commentator who was a chief of staff in the Harper government.

• So Donald Trump did find out what Mark Carney wanted to talk about, after all. Both leaders met at the white house yesterday for the first t...

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 Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor.

• Prime Minister Mark Carney has arrived in Washington for a meeting with Donald Trump who’s “not sure what he wants to talk about” but guesses it’s about “making a deal” h...

Elias Makos kicks off the week with 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 Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor.

• Prime Minister Mark Carney held his first press conference since winning the election on Friday afternoon, and it was filled with interesting moments. 
• In ...

Elias Makos caps off the week with Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy, and Political analyst Karim Boulos.

• The Conservative caucus will meet on Tuesday, to go over their election defeat and figure out who will lead the party in the interim while Pierre Poilievre waits to win a bye-lection
• The Globe and Mail reports that the Liberals are mounting efforts to...

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.

• At a cabinet meeting at the White House Wednesday, President Donald Trump showered praise on Prime Minister Mark Carney. Trump added that Carney would come visit him within a week. 
• Des...

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 Akil Alleyne, Reporter and commentator with extensive experience analysing legal, political, and social issues and Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program.

• A powerful windstorm swept through Quebec on Tuesday night, leaving nearly 100,000 Hydro Queb...

Elias Makos welcomes in Antonine Yaccarini, Political Analysts, PR Expert and former PQ and CAQ staffer, and Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor.

• Mark Carney’s Liberals have 168 seats, just 4 shy of that majority number. They were boosted by major gains in Quebec that came largely at the Bloc Québécois’ expense
• The Conservatives obtained their highest share of the vo...

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 Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor.

• It was the shortest campaign possible at 36 days. But considering what happened before Mark Carney dropped the writ, it feels like it was much longer.
• What will you be watching for tonight? Any specific ridings or tren...

Elias Makos ends the week with Gabriel Retta, is a Montrealer active in politics and government service at all three levels for the last 20 years. He is currently serving as Chief of Staff to the Official Opposition at Montreal City Hall, and Christina Chough, Spanish teacher and Chair of the modern languages department at Dawson College.

• Yesterday, Radio-Canada broke the story that in their phone call on March 28, Donald...

Elias Makos is joined by Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy, and Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS. 

• Quebec’s language watchdog has told Montreal’s transit agency to stop displaying English phrases like “Go! Canadiens Go!” on bus displays, citing the need to uphold French-language standards under Bill 96
• The Globe a...

Elias makos welcomes in Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor, and Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada.

• Yesterday the Conservatives released their long awaited platform… The platform promises $75 billion in tax cuts and $35 billion in new spending over four years, alongside a projected $31 billion defic...

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 Akil Alleyne, Reporter and commentator with extensive experience analysing legal, political, and social issues and Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program.

• Recent polls show a tightening in the race. Is this the most important election of your lifetime?
...

Elias Makos kicks the week off with Raphaël Melançon, a political analyst for Noovo and CTV Montreal News at 5. He is also the president and founder of Trafalgar Strategies, and Jonathan Kalles, Vice President at McMillan Vantage, a national public affairs firm, and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

• Pope Francis has died at age 88, leaving behind a complex legacy as the first pope from the Ameri...

Dan Delmar, in for Elias Makos, is joined by Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor and Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy on the Big 5.

• In the only English-language debate of the 2025 federal election, Liberal Leader Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre clashed over who’s best positioned to confront US President Donald Trump and lead...

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

• Who won last night's French debate?
• Is François Legault paving the way for the radical right? At least that’s what Ruba Ghazal is saying….
• Another day, another terri...

Elias Makos welcomes in Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy, 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.

• The Leaders’ Debates Commission has withdrawn the Green Party of Canada’s invite to participate in the...

Elias Makos begins the week with Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor, Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada.

• Mark Carney and Pierre Poilievre making an appearance on Tout le monde en parle last night
• The CBC reports that Liberal staffers infiltrated a conservative conference last week and planted buttons with both “Trump-styl...

Elias Makos is joined by political analyst Karim Boulos and Christina Chough, Spanish teacher and Chair of the modern languages department at Dawson College on The Big 5.

• Chinese connections continue to hound the Mark Carney campaign. On Thursday, the Globe and Mail reported that Carney met with members of a pro-Beijing lobby group.
• Education minister Bernard Drainville says he will not impose a ban on religious symbols for st...