The Big Five Podcast

Robyn Flynn welcomes in Akil Alleyne, Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program, and Anne Lagace-Dowson, political analyst.

• Tenants in a Lachine apartment building have been living without heat and hot water for seven weeks and say they have been completely abandoned by their building owner
• Yesterday was the hottest December 30th ever recorded, according to Environment Canada
• After MNAs voted in favour of their own salary increase in June 2023, the Parti Québecois promised its members would donate a part of their salary increase to different organizations

Robyn Flynn kicks off the week with Neil Drabkin, federal prosecutor and a political commentator who was a chief of staff in the Harper government, and Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor.

• What do you most remember about Jimmy Carter? What do you find most notable about him? How have US politics changed since his term from 1977 to 1981?
• Another slew of Liberals signed a letter demanding Trudeau to step down from his position as Prime Minister
• Federation of Quebec Municipalities, 74% of elected local officials say they’ve been the victims of harassment and intimidation. Many local municipal councillors quit their positions before the end of their term
• The organizers behind two encampments that were taken down by the city this summer are looking to obtain $10,000 per person evicted, saying that police brought down the camps without justification since they were “peaceful demonstrations.” 

Robyn Flynn is joined by Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor, and Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, columnist for the Hill Times in Ottawa and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy.

• The Globe & Mail has a story today about Canada’s new finance minister Dominic Leblanc staying at the Irving home recently
• Donald Trump continued his slew of trolling messages on Christmas Day continuing threats of seizing control of Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal
• The most recent projections by Canada338.com say that—were the elections happening today—the conservatives would win an overwhelming majority of seats with 232 and the Bloc would come in way behind in second place with 45 seats and the Liberals third with 39

Robyn Flynn, in for Elias Makos is joined by Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor 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,

• NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has announced that his party will introduce a motion of non-confidence against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government.
• Valerie Plante says she feared for her safety when she was elected the first female mayor of Montreal in 2017.
• Quebec Premier François Legault's trips to Paris between October and December 2024 costs over $268,000.

Robyn Flynn caps off the week with Neil Drabkin, is a lawyer and political commentator who was a chief of staff in the Harper government, and Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, columnist for the Hill Times in Ottawa and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy.

• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to announce a significant cabinet shuffle today, aiming to stabilize his Liberal government following Chrystia Freeland's surprise resignation as finance minister
• Santé Québec has spent $1.7 million over six months on external consultants to support its transition as the sole employer of the health network
• Should masking be mandatory in public during cold and flu season?
• A French couple in Granby is closing their bakery, Tartes et Clafoutis, after discovering they had unknowingly worked illegally due to expired work permits
• 20 Montreal bars have been given permission to stay open until 6 AM on New Year’s Eve 

Elias welcomes back Akil Alleyne, Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program, and Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the PR and content firm TNKR Media and host of the Inspiring Business Hour - Saturdays at noon on CJAD.

• Dominic Leblanc says Marc Carney will not join the Liberal government. This follows efforts made by Justin Trudeau to recruit the economist to make him his chief financial officer… But Leblanc says “that discussion has concluded” and that Carney is “not an option.”
• The Canadian government has announced a new border security plan
• Montreal Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes and special advisor Vincent Lecavalier have caused quite the stir for visiting St. Petersburg, Russia

Elias Makos is joined by Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance, and Raphaël Melançon, a political analyst for Noovo and CTV Montreal News at 5. He is also the president and founder of Trafalgar Strategies.

• The Prime Minister made an appearance at the annual Liberal Holiday party last night, and he sounded like someone who was sticking around
• Through the events of this week, there has been a constant stream of women speaking up about how Justin Trudeau treats them
• A man involved in a liquor store robbery in Ontario that ended with the getaway vehicle going the wrong way on the 401 highway and killing four people including an infant has received five and a half months in jail

Elias Makos is joined by Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS, and Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor.

• Justin Trudeau is facing a political crisis after the bombshell resignation of Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, on the day of her planned economic update
• As Canadians watched a day of considerable political turmoil for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government given the sudden departure of Chrystia Freeland on Monday, it appears that so too was U.S. president-elect Donald Trump
• Speaking of Donald Trump, he gave his first press conference since winning the election yesterday, promising Americans “You’re not going to lose the polio vaccine,” and that “all hell’s going to break out” if Hamas does not release the hostages it has held for over 14 months

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.

• Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigns right in the middle of our broadcast, and right before her fall economic statement
• A Montreal man died of an aneurysm after spending six hours in an emergency room before giving up and going home

Elias Makos caps off the week with Neil Drabkin, is a lawyer who was a chief of staff in the Harper government, and Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the PR and content firm TNKR Media and host of the Inspiring Business Hour - Saturdays at noon on CJAD.

• Thoughts on what you heard from Pierre Pierre Poilievre had to say?
• Canadian premiers are divided over Ontario Premier Doug Ford's threat to cut energy exports to the US in response to president-elect Donald Trump's proposed 25% tariffs
• The Globe and Mail has shared a plethora of stories this week about how bad it's gotten between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland
• Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau is set to face a federal parliamentary committee over the airline’s new $35 baggage fees. But his ability to respond in French remains in question