The Big Five Podcast

Elias Makos is joined by Akil Alleyne, reporter and manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program, and Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance.

• Last night the four Liberal leadership candidates faced off again in a debate, this time in english.
• One poll taken pre-debate shows that as it stands Mark Carney as Liberal leader would have more support than Poilievre’s Conservatives. 
• Universities, CEGEPs and private colleges will soon be required to limit the number of foreign students they can accept

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 Jonathan Kalles, Vice President at McMillan Vantage, a national public affairs firm, and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the Big 5.

• Last night the four remaining candidates in the race to replace Justin Trudeau took part in the first of two debates
• Quebec’s Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette has penned an open letter in the National Post.
• A new controversial rewards system has been put in place at Montreal’s Sacre-Coeur hospital.

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

• It’s week 2 of snow clearing in the city. And things right now aren’t looking so great. With firefighters sounding the alarm over inaccessible streets, Old Montreal merchants fed up over lack of snow removal making their businesses difficult to access for delivery or customers and many frustrated over tickets and more
• Tonight in Montreal, the first French-language debate for the Liberal leadership will take place
• Over 168,000 people have signed a petition to revoke Elon Musk of his Canadian Citizenship and passport

Elias Makos ends the week accompanied by Sue Smith, Montreal journalist and broadcaster, and Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy.

• Canada beat the U.S. in an epic 3-2 overtime win at the 4 Nations Face-Off last night
• Former PM of Canada, Stephen Harper is urging Canada to prepare for all scenarios including a potential trade war with the US
• Since yesterday dozens of buses have been deployed to help passengers affected by the frequent REM breakdowns

Elias Makos is joined by Neil Drabkin, lawyer and former chief of staff in the Harper government, and Akil Alleyne, Reporter and Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program.

• New poll says 27% of Canadians view the United States as an 'enemy' country. Is the U.S. a friend, enemy, or neutral country?
• Two Liberal Party sources say the party has sent leadership candidate Ruby Dhalla a series of questions addressing concerns over potential foreign interference from India and alleged irregularities in her campaign
• Delta Airlines is offering $30,000 dollars (US DOLLARS / 50,000 CAD) to people who were on the Minneapolis to Toronto flight that crashed at Pearson airport on Monday
• Francois Legault might like hockey, but not enough to give Quebec its own national teams

Elias Makos is joined by Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS, and Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance.

• The latest poll numbers from Angus Reid show that the Liberals under him would be neck and neck with the Conservatives
• La Presse is reporting that the Trudeau government will announce  this morning a $100-billion dollar plan for High-speed rail between Quebec City and Toronto
• Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault is demanding that the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec take responsibility for ongoing REM breakdowns

Elias Makos is joined by Justine McIntyre, strategic consultant and former city councillor and Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the PR and content firm TNKR Media and host of the Inspiring Business Hour on CJAD.

• The C.D. Howe Institute is highlighting Canada’s rapid decline in happiness. 
• The amount of snow we’ve received was record breaking. By some metrics you have to go back to 1898 to find more snow in such a short period.
• Each of the five people running for the Liberal leadership know at least 200 really rich people. Mark Carney, Chrystia Freeland, Karina Gould, Frank Baylis, and Ruby Dhalla have all ponied up the full $350,000 required by yesterday’s deadline.

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

• A powerful blizzard hit Montreal yesterday, bringing up to 40 cm of snow and strong winds, reducing visibility to near zero
• The REM is down again this morning - a morning when we’re urging people not to be on the roads. Did we buy a lemon?
• La Ville annonce la création du Bureau de la langue française - Committed to promoting and protecting French in its territory
• Fans showed their disdain for the U.S., heavily booing The Star Spangled Banner before the 4 Nations Face-Off game at the Bell Centre on Saturday. That booing is still causing debate, with Quebec MP Gérard Deltell calling it “shameful.” 

Elias makos caps off the week with Akil Alleyne, Reporter and Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program. and Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS.

• What is the most romantic spot in Montreal?
• How did Canada’s Premiers get a meeting at the White House on Wednesday? As it turns out, it was money.
• Quebec Premier François Legault defended his approach to protecting the province from US tariffs after facing criticism for his negotiations during a recent trade mission to Washington

Elias Makos is joined by Political analyst Karim Boulos, and Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy.

• As we get hit with the biggest snowstorm of the season, the Montreal Children Hospital’s Trauma Centre is warning parents against the dangers of sledding and snow forts
• Canadian Premiers and Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc have described their meetings with White House officials as constructive
• Economic Minister Christopher Skeete’s proposed Bill 85 will let stores stay open with more than four employees beyond the current 9pm weekday and 8pm weekend restrictions