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 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? An internal federal report from Policy Horizons Canada paints a bleak picture of life in 2040 Quebec hotels are facing a staffing crisis ahead of the busy summer season and are urging the provincial and federal governments to ease restrictions on temporary foreign workers Wine sales are down to levels not seen since 1961. Why aren't we cracking open a bottle?

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 Americas and a figure celebrated for his humility and efforts toward inclusion Over the weekend, the Liberals released their party platform, and it’s an expensive one. $130 billion dollars in new spending over the next four years It's the last day for advance voting. Over the weekend, party leaders focused on key battlegrounds, with Pierre Poilievre and Jagmeet Singh campaigning in British Columbia while Liberal Leader Mark Carney rallied in Ottawa Montreal Canadiens playoff tickets are soaring to extreme prices, with resale sites listing nosebleed seats at over $550 and lower bowl tickets climbing past $2,000

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 Canada through his sweeping tariffs.  The presence of Rebel News representatives led to the cancellation of the post-debate press scrum following the English leaders’ debate. S&P Global has downgraded Quebec’s credit rating from AA− to A+   

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 terrible Canadian crime story. This one comes from Edmonton, where two men have been charged with first degree murder for planning to kill a complete stranger Ozempic for teenagers? Kaiden Guhle scored twice as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 to clinch a playoff spot 

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 upcoming debates Tonight’s French-language federal leaders’ debate has been moved to 6 p.m. EDT—two hours earlier than planned—to avoid clashing with a key Montreal Canadiens game Statistics Canada reports that while Canada’s highest-earning households saw significant investment and income growth in late 2024, lower-income households experienced wage declines Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a new tourism campaign on Monday targeted at Canadians - telling them to “come experience our California Love.” 

Elias Makos is joined by Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor, and Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia.

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-style language” and attacks against the Conservative Party’s national campaign director The Quebec government has announced it will remove the floor price on gasoline and other fuels in a move to promote market competition and lower prices for consumers A Quebec man, Jonathan Corriveau, pleaded guilty to throwing rocks at dozens of vehicles in Sherbrooke, over a two-month period Bill Maher spilled the beans on his dinner with President Donald Trump at the White House

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 students. Francois Legault is backing Immigration Minister Jean-Francois Roberge’s comments about Quebec’s capacity to take in more immigrants.

Elias Makos is joined by Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia, as well as Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS. Quebec Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge is facing backlash after saying Canada “can’t take on all the world’s suffering" On the campaign trail, Pierre Poilievre’s latest campaign pledge is a ‘Three strikes and you’re out’ plan to tackle crime. Donald Trump is facing accusations of potential insider trading after he posted “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! DJT” on Truth Social in the morning.

Caroline Codsi, founder and chief equity officer of Women in Governance, shares her insights on the heated atmosphere of the current election campaign. She discusses the rise in asylum seekers at the St. Bernard de Lacolle border and its implications for Canada. The conversation also delves into how negative politics are shaping voter sentiment, particularly surrounding figures like Mark Carney. On a lighter note, they explore the entertaining prospects of a Canadian version of 'Jersey Shore,' complete with unique twists and locations.