The Big Five Podcast

Elias Makos is joined by Caroline Codsi, founder & chief equity officer, Women in Governance and Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy on The Big 5.

• There’s been a steady rise in asylum seekers at the St-Bernard-de-Lacolle border crossing south of Montreal,
• A star Liberal candidate in B.C., Gregor Robertson, says Pierre Poilievre’s large rallies are like the 2022 Freedom Convoy protests. The Conservatives are attempting to hit Mark Carney hard over his business dealings
• Remember the show “Jersey Shore?” Well, Paramount is now looking to cast ten Canadian singles for its new MTV entry into the “Shore” format, “Canada Shore.”

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 Akil Alleyne, Reporter and commentator with extensive experience analysing legal, political, and social issues and Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program

Among the topics discussed

• Canada’s Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force says the Chinese government is behind a campaign in the last month that saw posts about Mark Carney 
• A false rumor about a 90-day pause in tariffs sent US stock markets surging yesterday
• Liberal leader Mark Carney is proposing a significant funding boost for CBC/Radio-Canada
• China has vowed to “fight to the end” and retaliate after Donald Trump threatened a 50% tariff hike on Chinese imports
• The trial of Pierre Ny St-Amand, the bus driver accused of killing two children and injuring six others when he drove into a Laval daycare in 2023, was back in Superior Court yesterday.

Elias Makos starts the week off with Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada, and Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor.

• The stock market is poised for yet another day in the red but Treasury secretary Scott Bessent says that most Americans aren’t concerned about the markets.
• We saw a plethora of candidates get the boot last week - but as of 2pm today, the consequences will be far more severe. That’s the deadline for naming candidates or making changes. With that in mind, we’re seeing some last minute surprises. 
• Liberal leader Mark Carney is proposing a significant funding boost for CBC/Radio-Canada
• The Port of Montreal has ended its use of a private suite at the Bell Centre after internal records revealed it was often used for personal gatherings rather than business development
• The trial of Pierre Ny St-Amand, the bus driver accused of killing two children and injuring six others when he drove into a Laval daycare in 2023, is back in Superior Court today

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

• While you were sleeping, China has responded to the U.S.’ tariffs, imposing their own 34% reciprocal tariff on U.S. goods
• Last night Radio-Canada aired Cinq chefs, une élection, where each of the main party leaders were interviewed. Mark Carney showed off a level of French that received a better than passing grade from most, but whiffed on a couple of softballs on Quebec and groceries
• Indian police have arrested a 24-year-old American tourist who illegally landed on the highly restricted North Sentinel Island in an attempt to meet the isolated Sentinelese tribe

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 Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance.

• Quebec and Canada are mostly exempt from the latest US tariffs announced by Donald Trump, but a 25% tariff on some Canadian auto products takes effect at midnight, with steel and aluminum tariffs remaining
• Despite Donald Trump’s promise of rapid job growth and investment from his new tariffs, the National Association of Manufacturers warns that high tariffs could hurt investment and competitiveness
• Earlier in the week, a controversial nine-second clip of one of Pierre Poilievre’s campaign stops made the rounds on social media
• The former leader of the Reform Party of Canada has a warning: “Mark Carney poses a threat to national unity.” 

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 Akil Alleyne, Reporter and commentator with extensive experience analysing legal, political, and social issues and Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program.

• We begin with President Donald Trump - who has declared today, April 2 - “Liberation Day” for the US, as new reciprocal tariffs target all trade partners with whom the US runs a deficit, including Canada
• A new Leger poll shows Mark Carney out on top as he continues to dominate voting intentions
• The National Post reports that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith sent a letter to Quebec Premier François Legault to form a ‘form a common front for greater provincial autonomy within Canada.’
• The Conservative Party dropped three candidates in a single day yesterday, including Stefan Marquis, who was running in  Montreal’s Laurier Sainte-Marie riding
• Several entities of global investment giant Brookfield Asset Management’s core business are registered to an address in Bermuda that also houses a local bike shop, CTV News has learned

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 Justine McIntyre, strategic consultant and former city councillor,

• Paul Chiang has stepped down. The Liberal candidate encouraged people to bring a Conservative candidate to the Chinese consulate in Toronto to collect a $184,000 bounty placed on his head by Hong Kong police.
• Another Quebec gaffe for Mark Carney. He announced his plan for the government to build homes yesterday, but the french translation – Bâtir Maisons Canada – immediately became the butt of jokes,
• It’s April 1st, so Canada's carbon tax is done. Gas prices dropped by 20 cents a litre in Ottawa overnight!

Elias Makos begins the week with Christina Chough, Spanish teacher and Chair of the modern languages department at Dawson College, and Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor.

• Mark Carney is under fire to dump Toronto Liberal candidate Paul Chiang
• Federal party leaders are taking different stances on Quebec’s Bill 96 as the election campaign unfolds

Elias Makos caps off the week that was with Political analyst Karim Boulos, and Raphaël Melançon, a political analyst for Noovo and CTV Montreal News at 5. He is also the president and founder of Trafalgar Strategies. 

• Speaking yesterday in Ottawa, Mark Carney presented a grim picture of the future of Canada-U.S. relations, "The old relationship we had with the United States based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation is over." 
• Université de Montréal sent a first warning yesterday afternoon to all of its employees and students traveling to the US
• The Quebec government is introducing a new bill to overhaul the admissions policies for subsidized daycare centres
• Dog owners across Quebec can soon enjoy dining on terraces with their pets

Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada, and Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy.

• Donald Trump made himself a key part of Canada’s federal election campaign once again on Wednesday, as he announced a 25% tariff on vehicles imported to the U.S.
• Pierre Poilievre was in Quebec City yesterday to launch his Quebec specific platform.
• In the week leading up to the beginning of the Canadian election campaign, federal parties spent over $900,000 on ads through Meta
• Ever accidentally added the wrong person to a group chat and thought, what’s the worst that can happen?