The Big Five Podcast

Sue Smith caps off the week with Anthony Koch, Former National Spokesperson for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and current managing principal at AK Strategies, 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. Israel has launched a large-scale airstrike on Iran, targeting nuclear and military sites The G7 summit kicks off this weekend in Kananaskis, Alberta, with world leaders facing massive global challenges The Quebec Liberal Party will choose its new leader this Saturday

Sue Smith is joined by Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor, and Gabriel Retta, is a Montrealer who has been 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. Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed Michael Sabia, the current president of Hydro-Québec and a seasoned business and public sector leader, as Canada’s next Clerk of the Privy Council In preparation for the influx of tourists during the Formula 1 Grand Prix, the City of Montreal launched a last-minute beautification blitz to hide unsightly construction zones Quebec has officially designated today June 12th as the province’s first-ever Buy Local Day

Suse Smith welcomes back Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada, and Political analyst Karim Boulos. A scathing new report by Auditor General Karen Hogan reveals widespread mismanagement in federal contracts awarded to GCStrategies Quebec’s proposed Bill 106, which ties 12% of family doctors’ pay to performance indicators As Montreal’s public transit strike enters its third day, negotiations between the STM and its 2,400 maintenance workers are set to resume today

Sue Smith is joined by Akil Alleyne, (Alean) 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. The SPVM’s latest annual report shows that Montreal police response times for the most urgent calls have increased by nearly a minute over the past decade Quebec, Montreal, and local partners are investing over $3.5 million to boost social intervention services in the Place des Arts area Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced $9.3 billion in new military spending, allowing Canada to reach NATO’s 2% GDP defense target this year The Canadian Competition Bureau is taking legal action against DoorDash, accusing the company of misleading customers by inflating advertised prices through hidden mandatory fees

Sue Smith 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 Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia. On Sunday, 2,000 National Guard troops began arriving in Los Angeles on orders from President Donald Trump Prime Minister Mark Carney has unveiled the “One Canadian Economy” bill Montreal's STM maintenance workers are set to strike from June 9-17, disrupting transit service across the city

Elias Makos is joined by Anthony Koch, Former National Spokesperson for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and current managing principal at AK Strategies, and Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy. The once-close alliance/bromance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk dramatically collapsed this week in a public social media feud Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump have been in touch since their Oval Office meeting last month, holding direct talks in recent weeks amid the ongoing trade war between the two countries Towns in northern New York are offering special deals to lure back Canadian tourists, especially Quebecers, amid a steep drop in cross-border travel. Quebec plans to cut its annual permanent immigration targets to as low as 25,000 people, down from around 64,000, unless Ottawa agrees to halve the number of temporary residents in the province A Canadian man with past ties to Osama bin Laden and a terrorism conviction in the US has been arrested in Montreal after allegedly threatening to kill “a large number of people  

Trudie Mason is joined by Christina Chough, Spanish teacher and Chair of the modern languages department at Dawson College, 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. The federal government has already spent over $1 million in legal fees to prepare its challenge of Quebec’s secularism law (Bill 21) at the Supreme Court of Canada Quebec Premier François Legault is considering boosting financial aid to steel and aluminum companies in response to Donald Trump’s new tariffs A landlord in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, is facing over $7,000 in cleaning costs after discovering her rental unit had been turned into a filthy dump by a tenant who even defecated on the floor Have you changed your mind about going to the US?

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 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. Justice Minister Sean Fraser says the federal duty to consult Indigenous communities on major infrastructure projects does not amount to giving them veto power The Carney government is proposing sweeping immigration reforms aimed at streamlining the system and tightening border security Climate activists from the group Dernière génération Canada shut down Saint-Denis Street in Montreal for several hours on Tuesday  Montreal is reworking its decades-old noise bylaw to better support cultural venues while respecting residents’ peace

Elias Makos is joined by 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. Prime Minister Mark Carney and the Premiers met yesterday to discuss the fast-tracking of major energy and infrastructure projects April was the busiest month for asylum seekers entering Quebec at the Lacolle border crossing since Roxham Road was closed in 2023 The number of complaints to Quebec’s language watchdog, the OQLF, over violations of French-language rules has hit a record high for the eighth consecutive year Nadia Poirier, who ran for Québec solidaire in the recent Terrebonne by-election, has left the party to join the Parti Québécois

Elias Makos starts the week with Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor, and Sue Smith is a Montreal journalist. The Royal Bank of Canada is refusing to reimburse dozens of customers who were scammed out of $10,000 A 24-year-old Laval woman who robbed 11 seniors of nearly $90,000 will not have a criminal record Canada’s premiers are meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Saskatoon to propose which major infrastructure projects should be prioritized for fast-tracking under Carney’s plan to cut federal approval times After successfully contesting unfair rent increases at Quebec’s housing tribunal (TAL), a tenant named Steve says he’s now blacklisted by landlords