The Big Five Podcast

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 Anthony Koch, Former National Spokesperson for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and current managing principal at AK Strategies.

• Mark Carney has changed his tune, and is now bracing Canadians for a future where U.S. tariffs against Canada remain in place regardless of a trade deal or not.
• Should immigration status ever factor in criminal sentencing?
• The SAQ is tightening its return policy to curb revenue losses.
• While Quebec is banning cellphones in schools starting this fall, electronic sports (e-sports) programs that involve hours of video gaming are expanding in high schools and CEGEPs. 

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 Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor.

• Is there room for a new municipal party, this late in the game? The movement Futur Montréal has just been granted official party status by Élections Québec
• Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre wants the country to tap the brakes on immigration.
• The cover of the new issue of New York Magazine is a stunner. Under the red headline of “You Have No Idea How Furious the Canadians Are,” a giant beaver strangles a bald eagle.
• Did you know that less really is more when it comes to your shower routine? How often do you shower?

Elias Makos begins the week with guests Gabriel Retta, is a Montrealer active in politics and government service at all three levels for the last 20 years and currently serving as Chief of Staff to the Official Opposition at Montreal City Hall, and Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor.

• A powerful thunderstorm swept through Montreal on Sunday causing major disruptions across the city. 
• A new Léger survey ranking happiness levels across Quebec shows Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures as the happiest city, with Montreal landing in 50th place. 
• Verdun borough councillor Enrique Machado has resigned from Projet Montréal after making a derogatory comment comparing Venezuelans to Indigenous people on social media.
• Mark Carney has agreed to set up a conflict-of-interest screen with the Ethics Commissioner and will recuse himself from any discussions involving 103 different companies.

Elias Makos ends the week with Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS, and Political analyst Karim Boulos.

• Donald Trump is once again threatening Canada with steep tariffs, this time a 35% duty starting August 1st. 
• Turns out that as our elbows go up, the amount we care about climate goes down
• The Gazette released its inaugural Rich List, which ranks the province’s 25 wealthiest individuals and families.

Elias Makos is joined by Neil Drabkin, is a lawyer who served as federal prosecutor and a political commentator who was a chief of staff in the Harper government, and Sue Smith is a Montreal journalist and broadcaster.

• Montreal’s public health authority is raising serious concerns about the pilot project allowing six convenience stores and grocery stores to sell SAQ products until 11PM, warning this increases health risks linked to alcohol consumption
• A new poll from the Montreal Economic Institute reveals that two-thirds of Quebecers believe the federal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney is spending too much and mismanaging taxpayer money
• Customers are criticizing Pizzeria Sofia in Brossard’s Dix30 district for refusing to offer free tap water.
• A Montreal handyman is raising concerns about the city’s parking app, claiming it shortchanges drivers by shaving seconds off the time they pay for.

Elias Makos welcomes back 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 Catherine Hogan, high school teacher at Westwood Senior High in Hudson.

•  Former Amazon workers in Quebec rallied to demand unpaid severance and denounce poor working conditions
• Members of the Canadian Armed Forces, have been arrested for allegedly planning to form an anti-government militia
• Video footage is circulating of a Montreal police officer shooting a dog that was reportedly being aggressive
• Are you for or against fireworks? Some are debating the relevance of fireworks in today’s world.

Elias Makos is joined by Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor, and Raphaël Melançon, a political analyst for Noovo and CTV Montreal News at 5. He is also the president and founder of Trafalgar Strategies.

• Ottawa is pushing cabinet ministers to find deep savings ahead of the 2025 federal budget
• Quebec Premier François Legault will officially trigger a by-election today in the riding of Arthabaska
• A Montreal woman, Paula Callejas, has been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since April

Elias Makos kicks the week off with Christina Chough, Chair of the modern languages department at Dawson College, and Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia.

• The C.D. Howe Institute says the combination of Liberal election promises and new commitments to defence spending means the deficit would hit $77 billion a year
• Big Five panelist Raphaël Melançon penned a piece in the Montreal Gazette last week entitled “It’s time for Quebec to keep religion out of CEGEPs and universities”
• A Quebec judge just threw the book at someone convicted of road rage, handing out a 14-month sentence to a 57-year-old man

Elias Makos is joined by Anthony Koch, former national spokesperson for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and current managing principal at AK Strategies 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 on The Big 5.

• A majority of Canadians no longer feel welcome in the United States, according to a new Léger poll. The survey, conducted in late June, found 53% of Canadians feel unwelcome, with trust in the US government at its lowest since Donald Trump’s first term. 
• Another gambling-related scandal from the world of sports to tell you about. This time it’s from Major League Baseball. Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz has been placed on paid leave as the league investigates a suspicious level of betting surrounding two pitches made by the hurler this season.
• Montreal woman wins lottery and takes weekly payments over lump sum.

Elias Makos is joined by Caroline Codsi, founder & chief equity officer, Women in Governance and Sue Smith, a Montreal journalist and broadcaster on The Big 5.

• A new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives warns that the Liberal government’s plan to save $13 billion annually by 2028–29 through “increased efficiency” would amount to a 24% cut in public service spending, mostly targeting non-defence departments.
• Residents in a Laval neighbourhood are raising concerns over a neighbour whose front yard has become a dumb site.
• The Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) has reversed its stance and now allows the use of the English word “Go” to cheer for sports teams, although it still prefers “Allez.