The Big Five Podcast

Elias Makos is joined by Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance, and Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia. Is Mark Carney’s honeymoon with voters coming to an end? Quebecers are seemingly not impressed with Mark Carney’s first budget. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre spoke to reporters yesterday for the first time since two MPs announced they were leaving his caucus.  As it stands right now, there will be no bus or metro service this weekend.  Doctors leaving for Ontario may not be getting the better lifestyle that was promised to them. 

Meeker Guerrier, a sharp political commentator from Noovo and RDS, joins Daniel Tran, Director of Communications at Casacom, to dissect Quebec's political landscape. They dive into Premier François Legault's staggering 71% disapproval rating and explore potential party shifts. The conversation turns to an ambitious urban renewal proposal for the Metropolitan Expressway, and they react to the striking news of Apple’s bizarre $320 phone sock. Insights on public health reforms and the latest on the STM strike add depth to an engaging discussion.

Elias Makos is joined by Political analyst Karim Boulos, and Trudie Mason Veteran newscaster here at CJAD 800. Does Canada need some sort of mandatory national service, be it military or otherwise?  The Quebec government says it has no plans of backtracking from Bill 2 after the mass protest by the province’s doctors at the Bell Centre over the weekend. Premier François Legault presented his economic vision yesterday. 

Elias Makos kicks the week off with Lionel Perez, Former city councilor and leader of the Official Opposition at Montreal City Hall, and Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor. More than 12 thousand doctors packed into the Bell Centre to denounce the Quebec government’s law overhauling physicians’ work and pay structures.  As we enter the second week of a month-long maintenance worker strike at the STM, the Journal de Montreal’s investigation bureau decided to take a closer look at the STM’s current collective bargaining agreement. Months after being suspended from baseball, Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been indicted on charges of taking bribes from sports bettors.  

Joining Elias on The Big 5 this morning were Sue Smith, Montreal journalist and broadcaster and Alain Vaillancourt, out-going Borough Councillor in the Sud-Ouest borough. Among the topics discussed were Would you take the bus or metro more often if it were free? Tesla shareholders have signed off on a massive pay package for Elon Musk Another Conservative MP has decided to resign from caucus… eventually

Elias Makos is joined by Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance, 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. Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada has given a 10 day ultimatum for the STM and its maintenance workers to strike a deal  There has been a record amount of complaints filed this year against STM bus drivers for being on their cellphones while driving Netflix and YouTube are not happy with the proposed Quebec law that would set their apps to French by default

Elias Makos welcomes back Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada, and Anne Lagace-Dowson, political analyst. It was hyped as a “generational budget,” but did it live up to that hype? Prime Minister Mark Carney tabled his first ever budget yesterday. The budget cuts the luxury tax on yachts and private jets and boosts funding to the CBC while giving them a super-specific new goal: bringing Canada into the Eurovision contest. Is this what Canadians were asking for? The federal liberals are now one step closer to a majority while the federal Conservative are screaming treason towards a former party MP that has crossed the floor. The city of New York has a new mayor. NFL football legend Tom Brady says his new dog Junie is a clone. Would you you do the same?

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 Victor Henriquez, Public affairs and crisis management specialist at Public Strategy and Conseil. It is budget day for the Carney government, but could it also be the start of another federal election? Not even 24 hours after being elected the new mayor of Montreal, Soraya Martinez Ferrada may already be breaking one of her promises. The Premier of Manitoba Wab Kinew stirred up controversy yesterday after saying that child pornography offenders shouldn’t just be jailed, but buried underneath prisons. You soon could be eating cloned animal meat without even noticing.

Elias Makos kicks the week off with Jonathan Kalles, Vice President at McMillan Vantage, a national public affairs firm, and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor. Soraya Martinez Ferrada is the new mayor of Montreal, defeating Projet Montreal’s Luc Rabouin by around eight percent at last count. Martinez Ferrada set herself some lofty goals during the campaign, including priorities for the first 100 days. What should she get done first as she attempts to quickly transform the city? The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that one-year mandatory minimum jail sentences for accessing or possessing child pornography is unconstitutional.

Joining Elias in studio for The Big 5 were Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, columnist for the Montreal Gazette, and president and founder of Trafalgar Strategies and Daniel Tran, Director of Communication and governmental relations at Casacom Some Quebec doctors have taken up the offer to call the Premier of Ontario Doug Ford and apply to move to Ontario to continue practicing medicine.  Quebec’s labour tribunal has authorized bus drivers and metro operators with Montreal’s transit agency to hold a one-day strike on Saturday, with no essential services other than paratransit With three days away before the election, a new poll from Pallas Data has Soraya Martinez Ferrada of Ensemble Montreal 15 points ahead of their next closest rival