The Big Five Podcast

David Heurtel is joined by Political analyst Karim Boulos, and Sue Montgomery, former journalist and former mayor of CDN-NDG.

•  Former mayor of Montreal and former federal minister Denis Coderre is considering running for the position of leader of the Quebec Liberal Party
• There have been calls for a reform of the FAE trade union
• Hydro Quebec’s Micheal Sabia is getting a new whip. Sabia has swapped Sophie Brochu's Tesla for a Volvo hybrid

David Heurtel hosted The Elias Makos Show this morning.

David's guests were Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, columnist for the Hill Times in Ottawa and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy and Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor

The subjects discussed were 

• Should we be arming our security at Jewish schools and gathering places? 
• Should governments change how they negotiate?
• Ideas for the catch-up plan in advance of Bernard Drainville's press conference.

On this edition of the BIG 5...David Heurtel is in as guest host with panelists Trudie Mason, Veteran Newscaster here at CJAD 800 and Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor.

• The future CEO of Santé Quebec will earn $543,000 and will have their own driver.
• Do those working for the Montreal Gazette play victim?
• Salary increase of 17.4% over five years, improved pension plan, bonus bonuses for specialized workers: the Common Front unveiled on Sunday the main parameters of the agreement in principle that it will submit to its members as early as mid-January. 

Today on the Big 5, Elias Makos welcomes Catherine Hogan, high school teacher at Westwood Senior High in Hudson and Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia. 

• Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne is now taking aim at another cost of living
• Notable Quebecers have used the tax code to make sizable charitable donations without much cost to them
• It has been a terrible week for Montreal restaurants

On Elias Mako's' first Big 5 of 2024, he is joined by Meeker Guerrier, Weekend News Anchor at Noovo and a commentator at RDS and Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance. 

• Another Justin Trudeau vacation, another Justin Trudeau vacation scandal
• Canada’s Industry Minister wants a foreign grocery giant to come to this country
• How much do you hold onto the name of venues?

Dan Delmar is in for Elias Makos and joining him on the Big 5 is Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councilor and Sue Montgomery, former journalist and former mayor of CDN-NDG. 

Joining Dan Delmar, who is in for Elias, on the Big 5 is Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, columnist for the Hill Times in Ottawa and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy and Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor. 

• François Legault's New Year's message: How will his year go? 
• There’s a fear that 2024 could be a setback for Montreal.
• Are Quebec Liberals a nationalist party now?

In for Elias, Dan Delmar welcomes Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia and David Heurtel, Former Quebec liberal cabinet minister, Council at Fasken and political analyst. 

• Happy New Year! Let's start with some political predictions and we will start federally and work our way down. Firstly… will Justin Trudeau be PM by this time next year? 
• Can François Legault turn things around?
• Should Valerie Plante feel worried about her job security as Mayor this year? 

Filling in for Elias, David Heurtel is joined by Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor and Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the PR and content firm TNKR Media. 

• Finance Minister Eric Girard announced on X yesterday that the province has had a negative profit margin for the second quarter in a row.
• The education union CSQ and the Quebec government went into what they call a negotiation blitz yesterday and throughout the night.
• A section of the Joliette metro station has been caged up and locked to the public after weeks of alleged incidents involving people throwing objects towards people walking in the area. 

Joining David Heurtel, in for Elias, is Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor and Jonathan Kalles, Senior Consultant at McMillan Vantage, a national public affairs firm, and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

• The number of calls the DPJ has received since the strikes began in the education sector has dropped drastically. However, many experts do not see this as a good thing.
• The FAE has rejected the latest offer from the government saying that the offer contains major setbacks for teachers and their students. 
• The numbers revealed in the latest Leger poll reveal that 56 percent of Quebecers supported the teachers’ strike actions while 34 percent opposed them.