The Big Five Podcast

Trudie Mason starts the week off with Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante, and Catherine Hogan, high school teacher at Westwood Senior High in Hudson. The Quebec government officially announced its plans for the interior renovation of Olympic stadium. It has been Christmas in July for many in Quebec for the past few weeks as Premier Christine Fréchette has been announcing multiple differents investments in the tune of millions of dollars. A new Journal de Montréal report says three major Quebec companies have recently appointed CEOs who do not speak French. The REM suffered a major disruption once again on Friday. A power failure forced one train to stop between stations, prompting passengers to evacuate and walk along the tracks under the supervision of emergency crews.

Trudie Mason is joined by Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, and columnist for the Montreal Gazette, 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 Quebec government has given the green light for the interior renovations of the Olympic Stadium U.S President Donald Trump held a national address yesterday and immediately took aim at his loss in the 2020 presidential election The debate over the Gordie Howe International Bridge agreement is intensifying after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to release the full details of the deal with the United States The city of Montreal is using its special provincial planning powers to fast-track approval of a 700-unit housing project, bypassing some of the city's usual approval process Four years after being forced to leave China, CBC/Radio-Canada has announced the return of journalists on a permanent basis to Beijing

Trudie Mason is joined by Lionel Perez, Former city councilor and former leader of the Official Opposition at Montreal City Hall, and Andrew Caddell, columnist for the Hill Times and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy, A new report shows that Canadians trust China more than the U.S. The report from Pew Research says that 44 percent of Canadians have a favorable view of China. All this week, the Journal de Montreal has been compiling testimonies from drivers about their experience regarding traffic in Montreal. The federal government is making changes to reduce the amount of immigrants coming into Canada. Montreal Public Health has issued an overdose alert after a sharp rise in suspected overdoses linked to a highly toxic drug supply. Turns out even if a company is losing an extreme amount of money, there is still enough in the system to give high ranking executives performance pays.

Trudie Mason is joined by Sue Smith, a Montreal journalist and broadcaster, and Victor Henriquez, Public affairs and crisis management specialist at Public Strategy and Conseil. Premier Christine Fréchette has decided to join the other leaders and promise to hold a summit on homelessness in 2027 if she is re-elected. Speaking of Fréchette, it seems she and other candidates for the party have decided to leave François Legault’s name and history in the past. Turns out Hydro-Quebec is selling electricity to the U.S at a cheaper price than what it sells here. The U.K government has announced that a nighttime curfew between midnight and 6 a.m. on social media for 16- and 17-year-olds will be enforced in order to help with its social media ban for kids under the age of 16. The Société du parc Jean-Drapeau has decided that puzzle enthusiasts will not be able to excavate the treasure that may have been buried by American author Byron Preiss in Montreal in 1981.

Trudie Mason is joined by Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia, and Political analyst Karim Boulos. Notre-Dame Street East has been named the worst street in Montreal by CAA-Quebec. Montreal is giving automated pothole filling another try. The city has just launched a new call for tenders to replace its decommissioned machines. For the second month in a row, Canadians have increased their travels to the U.S. Have you ever used Artificial Intelligence to self diagnose yourself when you felt like something was wrong?

Trudie Mason welcomes in Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante, and Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS. A new report by Ipsos in coordination with MNP reveals that over half of Quebecers have at least half of their income already committed to bills, debt payments and regular expenses before it arrives. The state of New York is proposing to give a 10 percent discount to shoppers who use the self-checkout at grocery stores. A new report shows that Montrealers spent 63 hours in traffic last year. The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses is angry with the Quebec government because of the SAQ’s current business model. The Carolina Hurricanes have officially engraved their names onto the Stanley Cup and some names have caused a lot of reaction.

Joining Elias on this morning's show were 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 Akil Alleyne, Reporter and commentator with extensive experience analysing legal, political, and social issues. Among the topics discussed were: Prime Minister Mark Carney is defending a major shift in Canada's foreign policy after becoming the first Canadian prime minister in 26 years to visit Saudi Arabia. Despite there being seven opportunities in the coming months to get a seat at the House of Commons, NDP Leader Avi Lewis says he will not be running in the byelections. The first Chinese EV from an actual Chinese company under the new Canada-China tariff deal has landed in the country. How much does it cost?

Joining Elias on this morning's show were Dan Delmar, political analyst and co-founder of TNKR Media, and Victor Henriquez, Public affairs and crisis management specialist at Public Strategy and Conseil. Among the topics discussed were: Air Canada has a new CEO; Anko Van der Werff. He can speak French. But he’s not Canadian. Is this an improvement? With signs that read “Not one more inch,” people living around Jarry Park are banding together to fight Tennis Canada’s proposal to build a new retractable roof stadium on the site. What if every young Canadian spent a year serving their country, not just in the military? Quebec will start testing certain truck drivers from Ontario that want to start driving commercial vehicles here.

Joining Elias on this morning's show were Karim Boulos, Political Analyst, and Jonathan Kalles, Senior Vice President at Vantage, a Government Relations and Strategic Communications Firm and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Among the topics discussed were: Prime Minister Mark Carney appointed four new people to the Senate yesterday, with two names getting special attention A new survey by KPMG shows that 42 percent of Canadian manufacturing companies are thinking of moving to the U.S because of the trade tensions between both countries The B.C. government is pursuing legal action against OpenAI over the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting tragedy Have you ever heard of Bryan Johnson? He's the tech entrepreneur who spends about $2 million a year trying to slow aging, measuring just about everything in his body in the hope of living much longer than the rest of us

Joining Elias on this morning's show were Sue Smith is a Montreal journalist and broadcaster, and Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, and columnist for the Montreal Gazette. Among the topics discussed were: One of the latest recruits for the Quebec Liberal Party, former Big 5er Justine McIntyre, gave her first interview as an official candidate on Monday. Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada is taking another look at the plan to turn much of Old Montreal into a “pedestrian kingdom.” Would removing public trash cans help Montreal's littering problem? If you had to wear one piece of clothing to tell the world ‘I’m a Montrealer,” what would it be?

Joining Elias on this morning's show were Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante, and Anthony Koch, Former National Spokesperson for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and current managing principal at AK Strategies. Among the topics discussed were: Justine McIntyre will run for the Quebec Liberals this October after a month of speculation. The Liberals also announced a former CAQiste, ex-Minister Pierre Dufour, and a former Quebec Conservative, Ange Claude Bigilimana, are also joining their ranks. Canada's richest families are pulling even further ahead, according to a new report from Canadians for Tax Fairness. The soccer world is up in arms after FIFA decided to rescind a match suspension of a U.S player ahead of their match versus Belgium Communities across Ontario who are along the proposed corridor of the Alto highspeed track have planted “Stop Alto” signs in fear of losing their land.

Joining Elias on this morning's show were Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia, and Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS. Among the topics discussed were: The United States of America turns 250 years old tomorrow. Great country, or greatest country? A new report from RBC says it is now more affordable to buy a condo in Toronto than it is to buy one in Montreal. Taylor Swift is getting married this weekend to Travis Kelce, and the world is abuzz over the ceremony taking place at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Another sign that physical media might not be long for this world… Sony announced yesterday that it will stop producing physical discs for Playstation games as of 2028. Canada’s men's soccer team is in action tomorrow at 1pm as they face Morocco in the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup.

Joining Elias on this morning's show were Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance, and Graham Singh, CEO of Releven. Among the topics discussed were: Former Quebec Premier Francois Legault took to X to share his version of a patriotic message for July 1st. If you are the owner of a heated pool, hot tub or heated driveway, Hydro-Quebec is coming after you. A Montrealer wants to take Google to court over something we’ve probably all encountered: Connected devices listening to us, and then delivering ads to us based on what was heard. A judge in Ontario has handed down a tougher sentence to a man who keeps robbing liquor stores because he doesn’t believe that the Canada Border Services Agency will deport him. New research says Canadians who have made the decision to move to the U.S are doing it not only because of job opportunities but for better access to health care.

Joining Elias on this morning's show were: Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada, and Tasha Kheiriddin, a writer and commentator for the National Post, GZero Media, and Substack. Among the topics discussed were: A new Leger poll out this week says that 84 percent of Canadians are proud to be Canadian. Prime Minister Mark Carney says the Liberal climate plan he inherited was "too expensive" for Canadians and "too divisive" to be sustainable, arguing today's world demands a different approach. U.S. authorities say they have seen a significant increase in illegal crossings of the U.S. border from Quebec to Vermont in recent weeks. When you ask AI chatbots for answers, should they be politically biased? The 60 people came from 20 different countries, including Angola, Chile, China, Colombia, Greece, India, Ireland, Romania, Senegal, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

Joining Elias on this morning's show were Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, and columnist for the Montreal Gazette, 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. Among the topics discussed were: We had Dr. Karim Elayoubi on the program yesterday. The doctor is the Quebec Conservative Party’s healthcare critic. He used the opportunity to present his party’s vision for Quebec healthcare, saying his party is looking to Europe and Asia for solutions to healthcare, not the United States. More than 1,800 St-Henri residents have signed a petition calling on all levels of government to intervene in a situation they say has worsened since La Maison Benoit Labre opened the city’s first supervised consumption site two years ago. Québec solidaire says it has an answer in order to stop landlords who buy buildings, increase rents before selling them at a profit, while evicting tenants. A new report from the Greater Montreal Observatory is not giving any optimism as it ranked the greater Montreal area 42nd out of the 43 major metropolitan areas in North America in terms of housing availability.

Joining Elias on this morning's show were 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. Among the topics discussed were: Mark Carney is on the defensive over his government’s massive B.C. condo bailout plan. Even usual backers of the government, like the CBC, are openly questioning what’s going on here. Ontario is set to announce a change to their highways. The province will increase the speed limit from 100 km/h to 110km/h. An investigation by the Washington Post finds that most chatbots typically shared left-leaning positions. OpenAi’s ChatGPT only gives left-leaning arguments 80 percent of the time. A 24 year old man who is severely disabled is asking for medical assistance in dying because he is unable to find a supervised apartment outside the health system. Canada’s men soccer team are going to the round of 16 in the World Cup after defeating South Africa 1-0 yesterday in the round of 32.

Joining Elias on this morning's show were Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, and columnist for the Montreal Gazette & Lea Streliski, best-selling author, comedian and columnist. Among the topics discussed were We’ve been asking our panelists this question on the Big Five the last few days… Should there be an English debate? Politics and sport are colliding again at the World Cup. Iran's Football Federation is urging FIFA to ban any Pride-related ceremonies, promotions or symbols during today’s match against Egypt in Seattle Canada could soon be headed to Eurovision. CBC/Radio-Canada has become a full member of the European Broadcasting Union, clearing the way for Canada to eventually compete in the world's biggest song contest Prime Minister Mark Carney will announce the federal government’s plan to “restore” 24 Sussex Drive at 9:30am this morning

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.

Dan Delmar is joined by Daniel Tran, Director of Communication and governmental relations at Casacom, and Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS. The pannel discussed the following topics: One day after the tragic shooting in Côte-des-Neiges that saw a police officer, a civilian and the suspected shooter die, the mayor of Montreal Soraya Martinez Ferrada is calling for tougher gun control. We now know that there won’t be an English debate for this upcoming provincial election. All five parties were offered to participate in a 90 minute English debate on September 24th. Two parties did not accept the invitation, the Parti Quebecois and the CAQ. Half of Montrealers are considering moving to a more affordable city across Quebec. That is according to a new survey by Royal Lepage. What is your favourite Quebecois Dish?

Robyn Flynn is joined by Sue Smith, a Montreal journalist and broadcaster, Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia, and Océane Corbin, PhD student in communications at UQAM who spent years immersed in an international incel forum analyzing violent and misogynistic online comments. Three people are dead after a shooting in Cote des Neiges yesterday, including a 34-year old police officer and a civilian. The gunman, whose identity has not been released, has been killed as well, according to police. In the immediate aftermath, rumours were FLYING online, a lot of them unsubstantiated. The Québec Court has granted an appeal of the housing tribunal decision that declared no-pet clauses in leases violate renters’ charter rights. The Parti Quebecois released the entirety of its blue sovereignty book yesterday. Tennis Canada is planning to build a new stadium with a retractable roof in Montreal, as part of a major upgrade to its facilities at Jarry Park.

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.

Elias Makos caps the week off with Trudie Mason, veteran newscaster at CJAD 800Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada. Prepare to see homeless encampments on camera when the city of Montreal hosts the UCI Road Cycling World Championships in September. A new poll from Leger shows that 90 percent of Quebecers are in favor of having police officers wear body cameras. Laval police say they're seeing a troubling rise in Facebook Marketplace robberies tied to high-value collectibles and electronics, particularly Pokémon cards and Apple MacBooks. The Quebec Liberal Party will not be moving forward with its threat to sue Parti Québecois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon…for now.

Elias Makos is joined by Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance, and Lea Streliski, Best-selling author, comedian and columnist. The Quebec Liberal Party unveiled a big name yesterday in their list of candidates for the provincial election. Antoine Dionne Charest, the son of former Premier Jean Charest, will be running in the riding of Verdun for the party in the fall. The joint House of Commons and Senate committee studying medical assistance in dying is recommending the federal government to indefinitely exclude people with mental illness from becoming eligible to use MAID. Despite the city’s best efforts to have us recycle or compost, we just are not listening. A recent survey by Flight Centre Canada says that 93% of Canadians who are familiar with overtourism are adjusting their plans for the summer of 2026.

Joining Elias on The Big 5 were Montreal journalist and broadcaster Sue Smith 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. Among the topics discussed were A new Leger poll this morning sees the Parti Quebecois slightly increase its lead over the Quebec A new Leger poll this morning sees the Parti Quebecois slightly increase its lead over the Quebec Liberal Party Thank god foreign media exists, otherwise how would we ever find out what Prime Minister Mark Carney thinks about major issues. The PM took to CNN to tell Kaitlan Collins the conflict is “worth it” if it means Iran does not have a nuclear weapon After 75 years of Hockey Night in Canada on CBC every Saturday night, the program will not return next season

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 Daniel Tran, Director of Communication and governmental relations at Casacom. Still lots of reaction coming in from our interview with Premier Christine Frechette yesterday. A new poll from Pallas Data for QC125 and L’actualité shows the provincial election is trending towards a three horse race. Protesters took to the streets in Montreal-North yesterday evening to say “enough is enough” amid allegations that a group of police officers were implicated in racist and discriminatory behaviour targeting Black and Arab residents. Distrust of news in the francophone population is at an all-time high in the country.

On this Monday edition of the BIG 5, Elias was joined by Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante and Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, and columnist for the Montreal Gazette. You just heard our interview with the premier. What is your main takeaway from it? A war of words between the Quebec Liberals and the Parti Québécois is raising the possibility of a court battle. In a dramatic — and disturbing— series of events, the Montreal Police held a surprise Friday press conference in the middle of the night, breaking the news of the SPVM’s most serious claim of racism in the force’s recent history.

In an exclusive English language interview, CJAD 800's Elias Makos is joined by Quebec Premier, Christine Fréchette. The Premier discusses a potential English language debate ahead of an election, the CAQ's relationship with Quebec's English community, migrating the province's health care system to a digital era, the word 'nosh' being in the crosshairs of the OQLF, recent reports of discriminatory and racist acts in the SPVM and more. You can also watch the full interview here.

Trudie Mason ends the week with Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, and columnist for the Montreal Gazette, and Lionel Perez, Former city councilor and former leader of the Official Opposition at Montreal City Hall. Opposition at the National Assembly are accusing Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette of going on a “witch hunt” in order to silence government sources. Today is the final day of the parliamentary session at the National Assembly and the CAQ will be trying to pass as many bills as possible. Turns out it takes 1000 hours of training before someone should be allowed to use a chainsaw. That is according to new guidelines inside Bill 101 that were imposed this week. Canada’s former chief of defence staff is warning the population that booing the U.S national anthem during hockey games could burn bridges between the two countries. Today is the second edition of "I buy a Quebec product" day.

Trudie Mason welcomes in Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada, and Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance. U.S President Donald Trump says he does not want to renew the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement. The OQLF is asking a pair of restaurant owners to remove the words “nosh” and "nachos". The city of Montreal is replacing its general manager, but not without giving him a hefty amount of money on his way out. Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says that based on the data he’s seen to date, Canada’s economy is weak, but “it is not clearly in recession.”

Trudie Mason is joined by Jonathan Kalles, Senior Vice President at Vantage, a Government Relations and Strategic Communications Firm, and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS. New provincial polling this morning from Synopsis and Lapresse show the Quebec Liberal Party falling while the CAQ tries to make a comeback. The energy drinks ban saga continued yesterday at the National Assembly after two independent MNA’s have voiced their plan to block the fast tracking of the bill until certain criteria is met. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is back in the news this morning and not for the reasons that you think. He is under fire for a photo he took with his current girlfriend, pop superstar Katy Perry. Ontario Premier Doug Ford finished his tour of Washington D.C yesterday.

Trudie Mason 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 Political analyst Karim Boulos. The federal government is set to table a bill banning social media for those under the age of 16. A new survey commissioned by the Brotherhood of Montreal Police Officers shows 70 percent of respondents want a municipal bylaw against verbal insults against peace officers. The Parti Quebecois is promising to remove Quebec from the federal government's High Speed Rail project if elected.

Trudie Mason starts the week off with 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. The Quebec Liberal Party held its final general council meeting this weekend before the fall elections. Hundreds of weapons have been seized by police in Quebec schools in recent years. Former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour is set to become Canada’s 31st governor general this morning.

Elias Makos 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 Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia. The government wants to fast-track a bill that would ban energy drinks for people under the age of 16. There is just one problem. The Quebec Conservative party is planning to block it. The commissioner of Major League Soccer was in town yesterday, making a push for the Quebec government to finish what they started and fully renovate the interior of Olympic Stadium. After a photo of an STM map on the 747 bus that spelled Bishop Street as “BEESHOP,” the chairman of the STM says the signs will soon be fixed. Is it the beginning of a violent summer in Montreal? Three men were killed in less than two days in Montreal and Laval.

Elias Makos is joined by Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance, and Justine McIntyre, Co-Founder of Civica Strategies and former city councillor. Under the headline ‘‘He yells: Mark Carney’s focus has Liberal MPs bristling,” Althia Raj tells readers of the most Liberal-leaning paper in the nation that the Prime Minister is not a nice man. Quebec's proposed constitution is turning into a political food fight at the National Assembly. A Tunisian man has been given a conditional discharge and three years probation for violently assaulting a woman. Loto-Québec will soon allow customers to purchase lottery tickets directly through the interface of self-service checkouts.

Sue Smith is a Montreal journalist and broadcaster, and Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, and columnist for the Montreal Gazette. The Liberals under Prime Minister Mark Carney have hit a milestone not seen in more than 20 years. A new Postmedia-Leger poll puts Liberal support at 50 per cent among decided voters — a level of backing no governing federal party has reached in decades. Premier Christine Fréchette has a busy day in front of her today. This morning she is meeting with the U.S. ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra. In response to the provincial government's recent announcement to ditch the QST on certain grocery products, Restaurants Canada is offering a bold idea. The organization wants the government to remove taxes from the bill of customers who sit down in dining rooms or take out an order. For years, police departments in Montreal and across Canada worked to reassure immigrants that contact with police wouldn't automatically put their immigration status under scrutiny. But new data suggests that may be changing.

Elias Makos is joined by Political analyst Karim Boulos, and Victor Henriquez, Public affairs and crisis management specialist at Public Strategy and Conseil. Premier Christine Fréchette is signalling a softer approach after years of tension between the CAQ government and English-speaking Quebecers. A directive from the French Language Ministry is raising eyebrows in the municipal world. Since Monday, municipal employees have to check that a company is complying with Bill 101 before any purchase. Prime Minister Mark Carney is condemning what he describes as a rise in antisemitism and hate in Canada. Nine out of ten Canadians say our health system needs to change.

Elias Makos kicks the week off with Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante, and Gabriel Retta, special advisor to the mayor. Religious event organizers say the city’s application of Quebec secularism law is confusing. A racist rally in Shawinigan over the weekend is drawing widespread condemnation across political class. Despite tougher rules, illegal Airbnb networks have taken over new housing towers in downtown Montreal. It’s been 20 years since smoking was banned from bars and restaurants. Seems like the city has forgotten how to spell its own proper street names. Riders on the STM’s 747 bus now have maps that indicate the Bishop street stop, but it’s spelled BEESHOP. And over in NDG, construction signs indicate the detour for Prince of Wales Avenue, but it’s spelled WHALES. What’s going on here?

Elias Makos is joined by Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS, and Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada. The three discuss these topics: Tributes keep pouring in for Former Montreal Canadiens star and Stanley Cup Champion Claude Lemieux It's now or never tonight for the Montreal Canadiens in game five Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke to the Economic Club of New York yesterday and decided to draw inspiration from U.S President Donald Trump The CAQ says the rights of English speaking people will be respected even after the expansion of Bill 101 to adult education and vocational training

Elias Makos is joined by Lea Streliski, Best-selling author, comedian and columnist, and Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia. They dicussed the following: Habs lose 4-0. Are we toast? Talk of the looming Alberta referendum has everyone on a separatist or federalist hunt in Quebec City Prime Minister Mark Carney says a 50 percent plus one vote to separate would not be enough for Quebec to leave Canada The French language commissioner says the Quebec government’s websites have too much English

Elias Makos is joined by Justine McIntyre, Co-Founder of Civica Strategies and former city councillor, and Trudie Mason, veteran newscaster at CJAD 800. The three discussed these topics: CTV News has learned that former environment and climate change minister Steven Guilbeault will resign as an MP today Prime Minister Mark Carney says a 50 percent plus one vote to separate would not be enough for Quebec to leave Canada Montreal police are investigating after pro-Palestinian protesters staged a controversial demonstration over the weekend

Elias Makos is joined by Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, and columnist for the Montreal Gazette, and Sue Smith is a Montreal journalist and broadcaster. The Habs lost game three of their series against the Carolina Hurricanes last night, 3-2 in overtime. Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette announced new tax relief measures yesterday. Quebec Liberal Party leader Charles Milliard says the province needs to take some inspiration from Doug Ford. Shopkeepers are furious that St-Denis Street won’t be pedestrianized this summer. Prime Minister Mark Carney is calling Alberta’s separation push “a dangerous bluff.” A desperate Montrealer’s question on a popular web forum after waiting 16 hours in an ER with a blood clot: “What’s the longest people have waited in the emergency room in Montreal before seeing a doctor?”

Elias Makos kicks the week off with Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante, and Graham Singh, CEO of Releven. Tim Hortons says it will scale back its use of the Temporary Foreign Worker program and instead hire up to 10,000 local workers as it plans a major expansion of restaurants across Canada this year. Premier Christine Fréchette is expected to announce a tax cut on several grocery products today. Radio-Canada somehow obtained an email sent by Finance Minister Eric Girard to Christine Frechette on Saturday May 2nd. In it, Girard says he is concerned about the number of announcements made by the government since Frechette won the CAQ leadership race. U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra says Canada must accept that U.S. tariffs are part of the new reality. The NHL is facing backlash in Gatineau after shutting down plans for a massive Montreal Canadiens playoff watch party.

Sue Smith is joined by Bonnie Feigenbaum, Conservative Party of Quebec candidate in last provincial election and a lecturer at Concordia & McGill University, media & government relations consultant, and Andrew Caddell, columnist for the Hill Times and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy. After backing off on the Go Habs Go! message from the buses at the STM, the Office québécois de la langue française has decided to republish a short guide to encourage the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs. Albertans will vote on whether the province should remain a part of Canada when they head to the polls this fall. A group of sex workers in Montreal are calling for a general strike during the Grand Prix weekend to demand better working conditions. Loto-Québec is in the middle of a legal battle over a scratch card worth $3 million between.

Elias Makos is joined by Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance, and Political analyst Karim Boulos. A few days after Liberal leader Charles Milliard made a point of denouncing the homophobic comments he receives online, another gay party leader in the province is chiming in. Eric Duhaime, leader of the Conservatives, says highlighting that kind of content only feeds the online trolls. Despite a bylaw making short term Airbnb’s illegal before June 10th, many international tourists have been able to find them across the city for this weekend’s F1 Grand Prix. As the school year comes to an end, there are more and more indications that the ban on cell phones is having a major – and positive – effect on Quebec students. W5 reveals that airport employees with alleged links to organized crime, drug trafficking and violence received security clearance.

Elias Makos is joined by Daniel Tran, Director of Communication and governmental relations at Casacom, and Victor Henriquez, Public affairs and crisis management specialist at Public Strategy and Conseil. The Fréchette effect is working for the CAQ. A new Léger poll for Journal de Montreal this morning reveals a 5-point jump for the CAQ since April 21st. More Quebeckers are turning to cheap Chinese ecommerce platforms. W5 has found at least 17 innocent passengers on flights originating in Canada were detained on drug smuggling allegations over the past year after their baggage tags were switched onto suitcases filled with drugs. The Quebec government is set to table new legislation to better protect consumers when purchasing tickets on resale sites.

Elias Makos welcomes back Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante, and Justine McIntyre, Co-Founder of Civica Strategies and former city councillor. The Montreal Canadiens are off to the Eastern Conference Finals after winning game 7 in overtime last night against the Buffalo Sabres. Following the overtime stunner, we had some light, riot-adjacent, fan activity in downtown Montreal. A long form piece over the weekend in the Montreal Gazette gives us an updated picture of what is happening in the neighbourhood of Milton Park. A petition initiated by a Liberal MP is demanding for federally regulated employees to work remotely three days a week. La Presse has a three-part series on how much CEOs in Quebec make.

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 Tasha Kheiriddin, a writer and commentator for the National Post, GZero Media, and Substack on The Big 5. More and more tech companies, business leaders and political commentators are ringing alarm bells over the Federal government’s Bill C-22. Prime Minister Mark Carney had a busy week on the energy front. The backlash against AI has arrived. From internet comments to graduation ceremonies, people are pushing back on Artificial Intelligence's seemingly overnight integration into every part of society.

Elias Makos caps the week off with Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, and columnist for the Montreal Gazette, and Lea Streliski, Best-selling author, comedian and columnist. Hey, what exactly do you guys call this long weekend and the holiday on Monday anyways? The Montreal Canadiens are one win away from making the Eastern Conference Finals. Do you believe this series is over or will we be talking about a crucial game 7 on Monday? According to Québec solidaire, over three-quarters of Quebecers support their proposal to tax the ultra-rich Police in Sherbrooke are asking residents to not give money to people begging for it on the side of the road. More and more tech companies, business leaders and political commentators are ringing alarm bells over the Federal government’s Bill C-22.

On this edition of the BIG 5, Elias is joined by Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer at Women in Governance and Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia. TVA reports that the Portuguese community in Montreal was refused a permit from the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough to hold its traditional march in the streets this Sunday. The march coincides with the Santo Cristo religious festival. A new bill introduced in Quebec seeks to strengthen protections for women facing domestic violence by allowing access to a partner’s history of abuse. Moved by the death of Gabie Renaud, the proposed legislation comes as concerns over femicide and intimate partner violence continue to grow across the province. Thanks to his son, a man in his 60s from the Quebec City area won the ‘Winner for Life’ jackpot on the Loto-Quebec scratch ticket. Christian Hébert is set to receive $1,000 per week for life. The man asked his son to go to the convenience store to pick up a few things, including a lottery ticket.

On this supersized edition of the BIG 5, Elias is joined by Justine McIntyre, Co-Founder of Civica Strategies and former city councillor and Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS, Two new polls are out this morning and they show a similar picture. They both have the PQ and Quebec Liberal Party virtually tied in first place but the CAQ is catching up. Ok this one is a curious one. The leader of the Parti Québécois says he has no hard proof, but plenty of historical reasons to believe Ottawa may still be spying on Quebec’s separatist movement. Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois’s white paper on education – and its particular focus on how boys are falling behind girls – is getting some renewed attention, this time on the national level. Dunkin' Donuts is coming back to Canada.

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 Jonathan Kalles, Vice President at McMillan Vantage, a national public affairs firm, and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The deadline for filling out the census is today. Have you completed your civic duty? The mayor of Montreal is giving herself one year to acquire new, reliable equipment that can carry out automated pothole filling. The city of Montreal has adopted its new protocol to manage homeless encampments. It appears the Quebec Liberals will have no problem attracting “star” candidates to their roster. According to Statistics Canada, 46 percent of Canadians say they are satisfied with their quality of life.