The Big Five Podcast

Elias Makos is joined by Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor, and Trudie Mason, veteran newscaster here at CJAD 800.

 It has now come to light that in 2012, the Olympic Park estimated that a winterized stadium without a roof would be 10 times less expensive

The CAQ continues to slide in the polls - so much so the PQ is now in majority territory
The Liberal MP for Mount-Royal, Anthony Housefather, is 'reflecting' on his place in his party’s caucus

Elias Makos is joined by Neil Drabkin, Immigration Lawyer, Political Commentator & former chief-of-staff to the Harper Government, and Akil Alleyne, Reporter, commentator and Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program.

• There are “too many cars” on the road. That’s the line not coming from Steven Guilbeault or Valerie Plante - but CAQ SuperMinister™ Pierre Fitzgibbon
• A motion from the NDP initially calling on Canada to recognize the "State of Palestine '' passed amid chaos and backfighting
• A new report shows no progress on Quebec ER room waits. In the past year if you visited an ER your average wait time would be 5 hours and 13 minutes

Elias Makos kicks off the week with David Heurtel, Former Quebec liberal cabinet minister, Council at Fasken and political analyst, and Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, columnist for the Hill Times in Ottawa and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy.

• Another day, another interview in which the Prime Minister tells us how much he thinks about quitting his job
• The NDP will put forward a motion in the House of Commons today calling on the government to officially recognize a Palestinian state
• Quebecers will have to “consume less” electricity and “at the right times” 

Elias Makos is joined by Christina Chough. Spanish teacher and Chair of the modern languages department at Dawson College and Jimmy Zoubris, Special Advisor to the Mayor.

• Today François Legault will ask Justin Trudeau to transfer all immigration powers to Quebec.
• Quebec’s National Assembly unanimously condemned Canada’s Supreme Court on Thursday

Elias Makos is joined by Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia, and Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance.

• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been pushed into a corner over the impending April 1st carbon tax hike, and politicians and journalists are having a field day with it
• François Legault is trying to make sure feel better by putting the $11 billion dollar deficit into perspective. Is it working?
• Loblaw is facing backlash as it tests receipt scanners at self-checkout

Elias Makos welcomes in Neil Drabkin, Immigration Lawyer, Political Commentator & former chief-of-staff to the Harper Government, and Trudie Mason, veteran newscaster at CJAD 800.

• Yesterday Finance Minister Éric Girard tabled a historic budget with a projected $11 billion dollar deficit
• Mayors in Greater Montreal say they’re looking at the possibility of significantly increasing density in certain areas
• The Online Harms Act continues to get attention, and very little of it is good

Elias Makos is joined by Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the PR and content firm TNKR Media, Akil Alleyne, Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program.

• Quebec’s budget will be unveiled later today and it’s set to focus on education and health
• The ArriveCan scandal is getting worse. Today we’re finding out that GC Strategies won three other contracts to develop apps for the Canada Border Services Agency
• The latest poll from Mainstreet Research shows the Conservatives with a 21-point lead nationwide, and a lead in every region of the country except Quebec - where there is now a statistical tie between the Bloc, Liberals, and Conservatives

Elias Makos kicks off the week with David Heurtel, Former Quebec liberal cabinet minister, Council at Fasken and political analyst, and Sue Montgomery, former journalist and former mayor of CDN-NDG 

• Projet Montréal recently polled Montrealers for their views about a list of people who could conceivably run for mayor
• Just a few months before the start of the leadership race for Quebec’s Liberal Party - a political commission has been formed to highlight, defend and make clear what the political positions of the Liberals are
• Laval will be offering $50 dollars a year to residents towards the purchase of reusable menstrual products and adult diapers

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

• Quebec’s deal with Groupe Construction Pomerleau-Canam to replace the Olympic Stadium roof and technical ring is official
• Anti-Airbnb rage has spread in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighbourhood of Montreal
• A Superior Court judge has denied Montreal's Roman Catholic archdiocese’s request for an exemption to Quebec’s medical assistance in dying law

Elias Makos is joined by political analysts Karim Boulos and Anne Lagace-Dowson

• Montreal’s festivals have penned an open letter this morning, wondering out loud which of their festivals will go down the path of Just For Laughs next
• That the Northvolt plant would not have happened if the company had to submit to a BAPE, or environmental assessment
• Stick around Quebec making $120,000 Canadian a year, or take an offer to make $90,000 a year in Florida. Which one would you pick?