The Big Five Podcast

Elias Makos is joined by Anne Lagace-Dowson, political analyst, and Trudie Mason - veteran newscaster here at CJAD 800.

• The Prime Minister is on a budget programs tour. Tuesday he announced a new $6 billion "Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund,"
• At his housing presser, Justin Trudeau channeled Maxime Bernier when asked about how immigration has affected the housing crisis.
• An STM driver tossed everyone off the city bus he was driving after one passenger allegedly raised their voice

Elias Makos starts the week off with Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the PR and content firm TNKR Media, and Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, columnist for the Hill Times in Ottawa and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy. 

• 51 politicians, academics, artists, religious leaders and human-rights advocates have signed an open letter calling on Canada’s current leaders to improve civility in public discourse
• Another day, another Federal program that stomps all over provincial jurisdiction. This time, it’s for a school food program
• Hydro-Quebec’s annual electricity rate hike came into effect on April 1 and the Canadian Federation of independent businesses are not happy
• Vermont police are warning drivers returning from Montreal to check for hidden GPS devices

David Heurtel is joined by Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia 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.

•  A confrontation between a man and foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly. The video was captured in the Mile End and the man was imploring Joly to lift the cap on the number of Palestinian refugees entering Canada.
• Veterans Affairs Canada faced major backlash this weekend after releasing a post on X on Good Friday wishing members of the armed Forces and the RCMP a happy March Holiday Season instead of a Happy Easter.
• The Parti Quebecois (PQ) says the Legault government is stalling and is still a long way from achieving its objective of providing all children with a childcare place by 2025.

Elias Makos caps off the week with Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor, and Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor.

• Figures out from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation paint a terrible picture for Montreal
• Quebec's French Language Minister Jean-François Roberge has ordered a probe and other politicians are apoplectic after a Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League team made themselves English-only playoffs garb
• MPs in Ottawa are due for a pay increase on April 1. That means an MP’s base salary will go from $194,600 to $203,100 - an increase of $8,500

Elias Makos is joined by Anne Lagace-Dowson, political analyst, and Meeker Guerrier, Weekend News Anchor at Noovo and a commentator at RDS.

• The federal government will create a new "Canadian Renters’ Bill of Rights."
• Montreal wants to increase their rental housing inspections to 10,000 in 2024
• A collection of Ontario school boards have launched lawsuits seeking $4.5 billion in damages against Snapchat, TikTok, and Meta

Elias Makos welcomes back Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the PR and content firm TNKR Media, and Neil Drabkin, Immigration Lawyer, Political Commentator & former chief-of-staff to the Harper Government.

• 1,400 people showed up at a synagogue to hear Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre speak. What does this turnout mean for Liberal support, and for the Mount-Royal riding?
• Is Canada missing out on economic and environmental opportunities?
• After promising to cut seven thousand civil servant positions during his 2012 CAQ Leadership election campaign, the Legault government has actually hired ten thousand more civil servants since 2018

Elias Makos is joined by Jonathan Kalles, Senior Director at McMillan Vantage and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Sue Montgomery, former journalist and former mayor of CDN-NDG.

• Police have arrested a 50-year-old woman for the criminal harassment of Longueuil mayor Catherine Fournier
• A Quebec coroner says that people who are caught driving without their seatbelt should have their licence suspended
• Bill 96 could lead to the disappearance of popular products in the province

Elias Makos starts off the week with David Heurtel, Former Quebec liberal cabinet minister, Council at Fasken and political analyst, and Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia.

• The Education Ministry has sent out new regulations to schools about the April 8th solar eclipse
• Montreal Police, SQ, and the Ontario Provincial Police announced Friday that 34 people have been arrested in relation to car thefts
• The federal Liberal party tabled a revision to the Elections Act in the House of Commons on Friday

Elias Makos caps off the week with Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor, and Political analyst Karim Boulos.

• Immigration Minister Marc Miller has announced that a sweeping reduction in temporary foreign worker targets is coming this fall
• A Quebec woman has been ordered to pay 27 fines worth $13K for having a temporary car shelter
• Apple is being sued by the U.S. Department of Justice in a historic monopoly lawsuit

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

• Anthony Housefather isn’t ruling out the possibility of joining the Conservatives
• La Presse has apologized after publishing an editorial cartoon
• Women are terrified as a man convicted of domestic abuse has been released