The Big Five Podcast

Jan 23 2025 200 ep. 25 mins 13

The Big Five Podcast artwork

The Big Five is the quintessential Montreal podcast, and the best way to get caught up on the top stories impacting the city. Every weekday, host Elias Makos and a roster of Montreal thought leaders debate and inform.

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Amazon retreats from Quebec. Plus: The gender identity debate forces its way into Canadian politics.

Jan 23 2025 34 mins

Elias Makos welcomes back Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance, and Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the PR and content firm TNKR Media. Yesterday Amazon announced that they would be pulling out of Quebec. Closing 7 warehouses and laying off 1,700 employees in Montreal, Laval and other cities Appearing on Toronto news station CP 24, Pierre Poilievr

Amazon is pulling out of Quebec. Plus: Trump says tariffs are all about fentanyl, not trade.

Jan 22 2025 23 mins

Elias Makos is joined by Sue Smith is a Montreal journalist and broadcaster, and Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia. Amazon has just announced that it is ceasing its operations in Quebec Quebec’s rental board has approved a maximum rent increase of 5.9% for 2025…. the highest in 30

The threat of tariffs continues to loom large on Canada. Plus: A U.S. border patrol agent shot dead south of the Canadian border

Jan 21 2025 23 mins

Elias Makos is joined by Akil Alleyne, Reporter and commentator with extensive experience analysing legal, political, and social issues and Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program and Political analyst Karim Boulos on the Big 5. it’s official Donald Trump is the President of the United States. Shooting near the Canadian border results in the death of

Turns out Americans really don’t want Canada to become a state. Plus: Montreal police warn against invading the privacy of porch pirates.

Jan 20 2025 23 mins

Elias Makos kicks off the week with Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor, and Jimmy Zoubris, special advisor to the Mayor. Officials here in Canada still don’t know what Trump will actually do when it comes to tariffs against this country A new Wall Street Journal poll finds two-thirds of Americans are opposed to Donald Trump’s idea of

Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland make it official. Plus: The shocking number of Canadians considering becoming American.

Jan 17 2025 23 mins

Elias Makos caps off the week with Andrew Caddell, a town councillor in Kamouraska, and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy, and Neil Drabkin, former chief of staff in the Harper government. It’s official - Mark Carney has officially entered the race for Liberal leadership at an event in Edmonton Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is warning the Trump

Chrystia Freeland will ‘axe the tax.’ Plus: The worst Wal-Mart customer ever

Jan 16 2025 21 mins

Elias Makos welcomes back Jonathan Kalles, Vice President at McMillan Vantage and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Akil Alleyne, Manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program. Chrystia Freeland will dump the carbon tax if she becomes the next Liberal leader. A source close to Freeland says “she will not fight Canadians on a policy t

François Legault’s turn as “Captain Canada.” Plus: How much money do you need to become Prime Minister?

Jan 15 2025 24 mins

Elias Makos is joined by Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor, and Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia. “The Hill,” a U.S. political publication centred on Capitol Hill and a must-read for those in policy-making, published an op-ed from Legault titled “A

Mark Carney charms America. Plus: Should café bathrooms be open to everyone?

Jan 14 2025 32 mins

Elias Makos is joined by Meeker Guerrier, commentator at Noovo and RDS and first time panelist Sue Smith is a Montreal journalist and broadcaster on the Big 5. Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney found time for an interview with the media yesterday south of the border with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. Former finance minister Chrystia Freeland is set to announce her bid for Li

The Big 5 : Jean Chretien says the Liberal party must move back to 'radical centre'

Jan 13 2025 24 mins

Elias Makos is joined by 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. Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien suggests that the Liberals should move to the 'radical centre'. Is he correct? One SPVM police officer has been suspended for insulting a youn

Justin Trudeau heads to CNN and MSNBC. Plus: You’re not getting the meat you paid for at the grocery store.

Jan 10 2025 32 mins

Elias Makos is joined by Neil Drabkin, Lawyer who served as federal prosecutor and a political commentator who was a chief of staff in the Harper government and Jonathan Kalles, Vice President at McMillan Vantage, a national public affairs firm, and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on The Big 5. Is Trump using talk of Canada becoming the 51st state as a distraction