The Big Five Podcast

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.

On today's Big 5: Dan Delmar, independent political analyst, media strategist, and co-founder of TNKR Media, and Victor Henriquez, public affairs and crisis management specialist at Public Strategy and Conseil.

• A petition demanding the resignation of Québec solidaire's Ruba Ghazal surpassed eighty-four thousand signatures after she brandished a keffiyeh during her National Assembly swearing-in ceremony.
• Éric Duhaime's newly minted Conservative caucus officially took their oaths at the National Assembly as the party prepares to court displaced CAQ voters.
• Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon directed his Labour Minister to advance an election promise mandating a third week of paid vacation for all Quebec workers.
• Prime Minister Mark Carney established a new strategic partnership with Turkey to boost trade to ten billion dollars, sparking a debate on balancing economic diplomacy with global human rights values.
• Airbnb announced a major policy overhaul restricting hosts from forcing guests to complete extensive cleaning checklists and checkout chores.

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.

On today's Big 5: Christopher Skeete, former CAQ minister, and Andrew Caddell, columnist for the Hill Times and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy.

• The Parti Québecois unveils its cabinet: The Parti Québécois unveiled its cabinet ministers yesterday, maintaining the position of minister responsible for English-Speaking Quebecers under Justice Minister Marie-Claude Sarrazin.
• Tens of thousands demand Ruba Ghazal’s resignation: A petition calling for the resignation of Québec solidaire parliamentary leader Ruba Ghazal collected over 47,000 signatures in a day following her celebratory use of a keffiyeh at the National Assembly swearing-in ceremony.
• Final Alberta referendum results emerge: Finalized vote counts from the Alberta referendum reveal a split decision, as voters supported Premier Danielle Smith's immigration control initiatives but rejected all four questions seeking amendments to the Canadian constitution.
• US alleges midterm election interference: The U.S. government has accused Canadian politicians of foreign interference in the U.S. midterms, listing ten incidents with five involving Industry Minister Mélanie Joly.
• Federal AI translation tool glitches: Internal documents obtained by Radio-Canada reveal severe errors within the federal government's AI translation tool, GCtraduction, despite officials identifying systemic bugs prior to its deployment.

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.

On today's Big 5: Trudie Mason, veteran newscaster at CJAD 800, and Sue Smith, Montreal journalist and broadcaster.

• PQ cabinet unveiling and English-speaking minister question: The Parti Québécois will unveil its cabinet ministry this afternoon at 1:30 PM. While many leaked positions have been circulating since yesterday, the fate of the minister responsible for English-speaking Quebecers remains unknown. Speculation suggests Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon might take the reigns of the file himself, mirroring François Legault's move in 2018.
• Globe and Mail calls for constitutional defense against PQ: Under the headline “Memo to the PQ: The Constitution is not a menu,” the Globe and Mail editorial board argues that the Mark Carney Liberal government must stand up to Quebec’s constitutional provocations. The paper specifically targets the decision to refuse the mandatory oath to King Charles under Section 128, arguing Canada cannot permit the PQ to secede "in dribs and drabs."
• McGill Law facing crisis over convicted murderer on campus: McGill University is dealing with internal strife after news broke that convicted murderer Jeffrey George Ewert was studying law on campus and attending faculty events in August. While a student petition supports his presence as an example of rehabilitation, others cite safety concerns and parole board reprimands regarding his social media use to argue he should not be allowed back.

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.

On today's Big 5: Jonathan Kalles, Senior Vice President at Vantage, a Government Relations and Strategic Communications Firm and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Anthony Koch, Former National Spokesperson for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and current managing principal at AK Strategies.

• Alberta separation door shuts: Alberta voters overwhelmingly rejected separation with a 76% "remain" vote. However, early counts show a "yes" to most of Premier Danielle Smith's nine other constitutional and immigration questions. Prime Minister Mark Carney's "no to the nine" campaign fell short as Alberta leaned toward "yes to the rest," potentially opening a messy new door to Canadian constitutional reform.
• PQ's referendum obsession: A new Leger poll reveals the Parti Québécois's referendum obsession cost them a majority. The data shows that dropping the sovereignty talk would have boosted Paul St-Pierre Plamondon to 35% of the vote.
• Quebec Liberals skip King's oath: The Quebec Liberal Party made waves at their National Assembly swearing-in by skipping the traditional oath to the King. Nearly half of Charles Milliard's caucus chose to take their oaths in both English and French.
• Faint-hope clause ruling: A BC judge has struck down part of the Criminal Code blocking multiple murderers from using the "faint-hope clause." This decision has delayed sentencing for three men convicted in a brutal home-invasion double murder.

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.

On today's Big 5: Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist, and former special advisor to Valerie Plante, and Gabriel Retta, special advisor to the mayor.

• McGill University is reviewing its safety protocols after revelation that a paroled murderer has been attending law school classes, sparking a student petition to keep him on campus.
• A board of inquiry will investigate a tragic military training incident where a fast-moving grass fire killed four Canadian soldiers and injured thirty-nine others.
• Violent cost-of-living riots exploded across France and Italy, resulting in thousands of arrests, injured officers, and a gutted historic city hall in Limoges.
• Alberta voters head to the polls today for a massive ten-question referendum that includes a critical vote on starting the legal process to separate from Canada.

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.

On today's Big 5: Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, and columnist for the Montreal Gazette, and Andrew Caddell, columnist for the Hill Times and President of the Task Force on Linguistic Policy.

• Premier-designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon and his caucus were sworn into the National Assembly with a cry of "vive le Québec libre," skipping the traditional oath to the King.
• A provocative debate continues over whether Montreal's values have drifted too far from the rest of the province, prompting questions about the city's future within Quebec.
• Severe misconduct allegations emerged at the SPVM after reports surfaced that one Montreal officer humiliated an arrestee while another allegedly urinated on a homeless person.
• Infrastructure discussions turned to the aging Mercier Bridge after a crack was discovered in a steel beam, reigniting debate over introducing toll roads to cover repair costs.
• Elon Musk's Tesla unveiled a flying Roadster prototype equipped with SpaceX-inspired rocket thrusters, with production slated for 2028.

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.

On today's Big 5: Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer at Women in Governance, and Meeker Guerrier, commentator at Noovo and RDS.

• US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra issued a stern warning to Canadian politicians over mid-term interference, directly targeting Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and MP Anthony Housefather.
• Statistics Canada data revealed a nearly seven percent spike in return trips from the United States, raising questions about the strength of Canada's ongoing consumer boycott.
• Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov is fighting to keep his probationary driver's license after picking up major speeding tickets in his Audi RS Q8.

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.

On today's Big 5: Dan Delmar, independent political analyst, media strategist, and co-founder of TNKR Media, and Lea Streliski, best-selling author, comedian, and columnist.

• The Montreal Metro celebrated its sixtieth anniversary as the city announced a six million dollar safety surge to deploy fifty-two new special constables across the aging network.
• Premier-designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is fast-tracking legislation to dismantle Santé Québec, aiming to claw back administrative powers and save up to one hundred million dollars with Conservative backing.
• Conservative House Leader Maïté Blanchette Vézina vowed to reject political labels and grant her newly elected caucus total freedom of thought in the National Assembly.

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.

On today's Big 5: Sue Smith, Montreal journalist and broadcaster, and political analyst Karim Boulos.

• Premier-designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon meets with outgoing Premier Christine Fréchette today to kick off the government transition amid bleak provincial jobs numbers.
• Prime Minister Mark Carney released a Thanksgiving video urging Alberta voters to choose national unity as advanced referendum polling opens today.
• The panel marks the upcoming sixtieth anniversary of the Montreal Metro, balancing celebration with concerns over the transit system's aging infrastructure.
• Stranded Quebec travellers expressed outrage at Global Affairs Canada after the Canadian embassy in earthquake-stricken Panama closed for Thanksgiving.
• A controversial US military proposal to livestream the December execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan sparked a fierce global debate on public transparency versus barbarism.

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. Host Akil Alleyne, is in for Elias Makos.

On today's Big 5: Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante, and Daniel Tran, political analyst and former political advisor in economic development at Montreal City Hall.

• The Parti Quebecois is set to be sworn into the National Assembly on Thursday and PSPP will be naming his ministers on October 21st. Out of the 59 MNA elected, there is currently no representation in the Quebec City region.
• Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre will be in Michigan tomorrow to advocate for "tariff-free" free trade with business leaders and in the media.
• We are officially one week away from the referendum vote in Alberta. According to Abacus Data, 46 percent of rural areas of the province would vote to separate.
• If you are a criminal in Canada and are trying to find a way out of the country…turns out it's pretty easy.