The Big Five Podcast

Elias Makos is joined by Meeker Guerrier, commentator at Noovo and RDS and Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante on The Big 5.

• Despite last night’s loss to the New Jersey Devils, it is a great time to be a Montreal Canadiens fan right now.
• Over the past five years, the number of people in Quebec who say that the main cause of their financial problems was gambling addiction has increased by 45%.
• The Liberal government is pushing back on criticism of its $90-billion ALTO high-speed rail projec

Joining Elias on The Big 5 today were Sue Smith, Montreal journalist and broadcaster & Daniel Tran, Director of Communication and governmental relations at Casacom.

Among the topics discussed on The Big 5 were

• The Quebec government has unveiled a new tool to track fuel prices across the province.
• And as gas prices reach those historic levels, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling for federal gas taxes to be scrapped for the rest of the year, arguing the tax holiday would bring immediate relief to drivers facing rising fuel prices
• Add Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet to the list of people against the high speed rail project
• Add Maple syrup to the list of things you can’t trust. Radio-Canada’s Enquête program began investigating the sweet stuff when a journalist opened a can that “seemed off.”

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 Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, columnist for the Montreal Gazette, and president and founder of Trafalgar Strategies.

• Reporters used an unrelated announcement to press the Prime Minister on whether or not China’s treatment of the Uyghur Muslim minority amounted to genocide
• CAQ leadership candidate Christine Fréchette has sent a clear message to her opponent Bernard Draiville this morning through a Leger poll conducted on behalf of her team.
• We are heading to the moon today!

Elias Makos is joined by Victor Henriquez, Public affairs and crisis management specialist at Public Strategy and Conseil, and Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada.

• Over the weekend, a video went viral showing an interaction between a man and a police officer. The man was pulled over by police for having window tints suspected of being too dark. The video shows him verbally berating a female police officer with the most vile language imaginable.
• The Quebec Liberal Party and the Parti Quebecois are now tied in the polls.
• CBC reports on an 85 year old Montrealer is angry with the justice system after her scammer was only sentenced to 18 months of house arrest.
• If you are planning to go see the Habs at the Bell Centre before the end of the season, get ready to pay a fortune.

Elias Makos kicks off the week with Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia, and Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante.

• Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau will retire by the end of September.
• The NDP elected a new leader this weekend. Avi Lewis, who won election on the first ballot with 56% of the vote, will now try to bring the NDP back to relevance.
• Toronto councillors have approved a pilot project for city-run grocery stores.
• 12 tons of KitKat bars stolen in chocolaty heist in Europe, Nestle says. If you have to steal a shipment of a chocolate bar, which one would you choose?

Elias Makos ends the week that was with Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS, and Lea Streliski, Best-selling author, comedian and columnist.

• Liberal MP Michael Ma has sparked backlash after casting doubt on forced labour of Uyghur Muslims in China
• The International Olympic Committee says transgender women will no longer be allowed to compete in female Olympic events
• The Red Sox unveiled a new lobster poutine at Fenway Park in Boston… Served in a cardboard boat, the “poutine” monstrosity will have heaps of lobster meat, clam chowder and crispy bacon

Elias Makos is joined by Trudie Mason, veteran newscaster at CJAD 800, and Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance.

• Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau has released a statement in English and French this morning apologizing for his English only condolence message to the families and victims of the plane crash at LaGuardia airport.
• We had Police Chief Fady Dagher on the program yesterday, and the discussion veered to repeat violent and sexual offenders.
• The work to replace the roof of the Olympic Stadium is halfway complete. 
• A jury in Los Angeles has found tech giants Meta and Google liable for creating platforms ideal for social media addiction.

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 Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, columnist for the Montreal Gazette, and president and founder of Trafalgar Strategies.

• The CEO of Air Canada has been summoned to explain himself before the Committee on Official Languages. 
• Shoppers buying discounted food at Liquidation Marie are now getting $121 parking tickets
• The Terrebonne by-election will officially use an adapted ballot method for vote casting due to the large number of candidates
• It was day two of the hearings on Bill 21 and the use of the notwithstanding clause yesterday at the Supreme Court of Canada

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 Political analyst Karim Boulos.

• The Legault government wants to lower the criteria needed to send someone with mental health issues to the hospital against their will
• Tributes are pouring in for the Air Canada pilots killed in a crash with a firetruck on a LaGuardia Airport runway
• Half a dozen citizens appeared last night at the City of Montreal council meeting to ask Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada to relax the regulations on short-term rentals
• A new report from Canada’s auditor general says only about four thousand out of a possible 153 thousand cases of fraudulent international student applications were investigated between the start of 2023 and the end of 2024

Elias Makos starts the week off with Anthony Koch, Former National Spokesperson for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and current managing principal at AK Strategies, and Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante.

• The Supreme Court of Canada will begin to hear arguments regarding Quebec’s secularism law today
• Quebec’s housing tribunal has ruled that no-pet clauses in rental housing violate the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms
• Ontario is moving to crack down on ticket scalping, with the Ford government proposing a ban on reselling tickets above face value
• Bad news and analysis keeps coming when it comes to the strength of the Canadian economy. The Hub recently examined how Canada has been doing compared to the rest of the OECD, and the data is striking