The Big Five Podcast

Elias Makos welcomes in Anthony Koch, Former National Spokesperson for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and current managing principal at AK Strategies, and Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor.

• Chaos in the House of Commons on Tuesday - with the leader of the opposition being kicked out of parliament for calling the Prime Minister ‘Wacko” 
• NYPD officers arrested protesters at Columbia University last night
• The federal government is finally going to force employees to come back to the office three days a week
• Montreal is going to hire professional shooters to deal with east-end deer overpopulation

Elias Makos welcomes in Neil Drabkin, lawyer and former chief of staff in the Harper government, and Anne Lagace-Dowson, political analyst.

• McGill says the “pro-Palestinian” encampment is illegal and violates the university’s policies, but is hoping to deescalate the situation, and avoid calling in the police
• NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he's still not ready to say whether his caucus will support the federal budget
• A proposed boycott of Loblaw stores is gaining momentum online

Elias Makos welcomes in David Heurtel, former Quebec Liberal cabinet minister, Council at Fasken and political analyst and Jonathan Kalles, Senior Director at McMillan Vantage, a national public affairs firm, and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

• The pro-Palestinian protestors who established an encampment on the campus of McGill University.
• Breaking news this morning in Quebec politics.
• $603 Million to reverse the decline of French.

Elias Makos welcomes in Christina Chough, Spanish teacher and 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 battle between the province and municipalities over public transit continues.
• Did we say $873 million dollars for a new roof? We meant closer to a billion dollars.
• Only 10 days since the safe drug inhalation site opened near a school in St. Henri… and it’s already causing strife.

Elias Makos welcomes in Akil Alleyne, Reporter and Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program. and Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, columnist for the Hill Times in Ottawa and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy.

• So the budget didn’t work, and it appears that the pivot for the Liberals now is this: Paint Pierre Poilievre as an Alex Jones-type extremist
• Public transit in Montreal is facing a $700 million hole, and that means the Plante administration faces some tough choices
• Quebec has now granted $40 million dollars for cleanup of the Montreal Olympic Stadium after a fire

Elias Makos is joined by Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance, and Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the PR and content firm TNKR Media.

• Valerie Plante says she’s against “Bonjour,hi”. Telling merchants that saying just “Bonjour” is better.
• The CAQ is continuing to lose ground to the PQ in the polls
• Education Minister Bernard Drainville says parents need to buckle down and ensure their kids go to school

Elias Makos is joined by Jonathan Kalles, Senior Director at McMillan Vantage and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor.

• Uh oh “bonjour, hi” is on the rise in Montreal’s businesses. How long before the language police say something about this? 
• All signs indicate Honda will be the latest recipient of billions in sweet sweet Canadian government money to set up shop for the future in Ontario
• Now going viral online, posters have been spotted in Ontario and Atlantic Canada encouraging people to partake in “The First Annual Steal From Loblaws Day”

Elias Makos kicks off the week with Trudie Mason, veteran newscaster at CJAD 800, and David Heurtel, Former Quebec liberal cabinet minister, Council at Fasken and political analyst.

• Tim Hortons in hot water following a potential lawsuit for Roll Up to Win prize snafu - which they say has ‘no merit.’
• A Montreal woman says she lost close to $25,000 dollars on a fake crypto trading platform
• The kids think we’re doomed, but absolutely, positively won’t change anything about how they live

Elias Makos ends the week with Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor, and Akil Alleyne, Reporter and commentator, and Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program.

• Valerie Plante says that the Hippodrome development will be a ‘city within a city.’ 
• Public Safety Minister Dominic Leblanc has discussed plans with a former cabinet minister on a run for the Liberal Leadership if/when Justin Trudeau heads for the exits
• The NBA has banned Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter for life. The ban came after an investigation by the league found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors

Elias Makos is joined by Anne Lagace-Dowson, political analyst, and Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance.

• Premier Francois Legault still has no idea how much rent costs. This time around it was Interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay with the “gotcha” question
• NDP leader Jagmeet Singh still hasn't confirmed if his party will support the new federal budget
• One couple in Ahuntsic says that the federal budget will cost them 28K