The Big Five Podcast

Trudie Mason is joined by Neil Drabkin, is a lawyer who served as federal prosecutor and former chief of staff in the Harper government, and Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia.

• The Quebec Ministry of Education is sending inspectors to 17 schools where violations of the state's secularism law have been reported
• Conservative MPs are frustrated with their leader Pierre Poilievre's directive to stop supporting federal housing funds in their constituencies
• Nathaly Rivard is appalled by the 15-day suspension given to Sûreté du Québec officer Sébastien Plouffe, who discarded a fragment of her 14-year-old son's skull in a ravine after a fatal crash in 2021

Trudie Mason is joined by Raphaël Melançon, a political analyst for Noovo and CTV Montreal News, president and founder of Trafalgar Strategies, and  Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, columnist for the Hill Times in Ottawa and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy. 

• A recent Léger poll reveals that the CAQ is experiencing its lowest support in eight years, with just 21% of voter intentions
• The number of complaints to the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) has surged dramatically, with 9,125 complaints filed in the 2023-2024 period, a 33% increase from the previous year
• Quebec student associations are demanding paid internships and a major overhaul of the province's financial aid system as students face growing financial pressures due to rising living costs

Trudie Mason is joined by Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor 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.

• According to a survey, 36 state-funded daycare centres in Montreal select children based on ethnic or religious criteria.
• A recent Léger poll reveals that nearly half of Quebecers (43%) have forgone healthcare in the past year due to limited access in the public system.
• A Montreal man has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his partner.

Trudie Mason kicks the week off with Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the PR and content firm TNKR Media and host of the Inspiring Business Hour - Saturdays at noon on CJAD, and Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor.

• Pablo Rodriguez, a candidate for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party, has garnered significant support, including from 40 former ministers
• A former university hockey star turned teacher and coach may be accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old student, but she will be able to continue teaching, a judge has ruled
• In Quebec, police are concerned about illegal gadgets that allow drivers to hide their licence plates
• A petition calling for free access to all contraceptives in Quebec has gone viral following the U.S. election, gaining over 55,000 signatures since November 5

Justine McIntyre is joined by Anne Lagace-Dowson, political analyst, and Anthony Kosh, Former National Spokesperson for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and current managing principal at AK Strategies.

• The RCMP is on high alert for a potential influx of migrants from the U.S. following Donald Trump's re-election and his promise of mass deportations
• A recent audit of Quebec's public transport companies found potential savings of $346 million, mainly by addressing inefficiencies like excessive vehicle reserves and high wage costs. 
• Come January 1, 2025, Saint-Lambert will implement major changes to its garbage collection services to improve efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and support government waste management goals

Justine McIntyre welcomes back Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia, and Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, columnist for the Hill Times in Ottawa and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy.

• It was the moment we’d all been waiting for. A little after 4pm Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage to make her concession speech
• Francois Legault issues a warning following the US election
• Quebec Premier François Legault announced his government is ready to use the notwithstanding clause to require doctors trained in the province to work in its public healthcare system

Justine McIntyre is joined by Jonathan Kalles, Vice President at McMillan Vantage and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Akil Alleyne, Reporter and Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program.

• Well, how are we all feeling? More importantly how are our friends south of the border feeling…. Donald Trump beat out Kamala Harris last night with 277 electoral votes to 224 votes
• Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé has backtracked on his earlier comments about reducing the private sector's role in healthcare

Filling in for Elias Makos, Justine McIntyre is joined by Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the PR and content firm TNKR Media and host of the Inspiring Business Hour, as well as Elias Makos, host of The Elias Makos Show on CJAD 800.

• It’s US election day…. How are we feeling?
• A Montreal property owner, François Tardy, faced significant delays and costs in reclaiming his apartment on Desjardins Street in Hochelaga, which had been used as a crack-smoking den by drug dealers for several months.
• Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for Palestinian territories, spoke at McGill University on November 4, 2024, despite opposition and a last-minute change of venue.

Justine McIntyre kicks off the week with Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor, and Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS.

• Valerie Plante remains convinced that her party will remain in power
• Quebec’s health minister Christian Dube is set to table a law to force new doctors to practice in the public sector
• 2024 has seen a major spike in calls to 311 about social issues such as homelessness, mental health and drugs
• Jaywalking has now been legalised in New York. Do you jaywalk, and should Montreal follow suit?

Filling in for Elias Makos, Justine McIntyre is joined by Neil Drabkin, a lawyer who served as federal prosecutor and a political commentator, as well as Christina Chough (C-H-O), a Spanish teacher and Chair of the modern languages department at Dawson College.

• A Montreal-area woman has been granted bail after being accused of throwing boiling water on a child.
• Valerie Plante has spoken on the hijab controversy in the City Hall Welcome. sign during a Q&A with CTV’s Caroline Van Vlaardigen.
• Quebec has temporarily frozen two key immigration pathways.
• As school board elections approach this Sunday, the future of English school boards in Quebec remains uncertain due to ongoing legal battles against Bill 40, which aimed to abolish them.