The Big Five Podcast

Elias Makos is joined by Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS, and Sue Smith is a Montreal journalist and broadcaster. 10 people are dead and 25 others are injured following a mass shooting inside a B.C high school yesterday afternoon. The SPVM released its 2025 results yesterday, and Police Chief Fady Dagher says the data is clear: Montreal is safe. The United States hockey squad will sleep in the Athlete’s village for the entire tournament, embracing the dorm-room lifestyle for two weeks. Team Canada will visit the village for two days - but then go live in a five-star hotel once the games actually begin. Who’s got the better Olympic spirit? In what should have been a celebration of an olympic medal for a Norwegian athlete, turned into a beg for forgiveness live on air.

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 Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada. U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to “not allow” a new bridge between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan, to open unless the United States is “fully compensated for everything” it has given Canada.  The Quebec government has no intention of reviewing its funding of concert giants Evenko and Live Nation, despite questions about how the companies favour English in concert bookings. Opening statements made yesterday in a landmark trial that claims Meta and YouTube created ‘Digital Casinos.’ Despite being told by several travel agencies that we should not be worried about going to Cuba, Air Canada, Air Transat and WestJet have all suspended flights to the Caribbean destination.

Elias Makos is joined by Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante, and Political analyst Karim Boulos. What does it say about Canadian culture that our number one TV event is a U.S. sporting event for a league that doesn’t have teams in Canada? The Globe and Mail is reporting this morning that Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford have been talking behind the scenes of a plan for a spring federal election. Journal de Montreal reports that the latest batch of Epstein documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice reveal that the convicted sex offender and financier loved Montreal.

Elias Makos caps off the week with Lea Streliski, Best-selling author, comedian and columnist, and Victor Henriquez, Public affairs and crisis management specialist at Public Strategy and Conseil. The federal government announced the return of purchase rebates for electric vehicles. Starting next week, the SAQ will sell a limited selection of U.S. wines and spirits online and at Dépôt stores, at a discount, to clear stock sitting in warehouses. The Winter Olympics are upon us, and there’s already a controversy over the performance enhancing measures some athletes are taking. The scandal is unfolding in ski jumping over so-called “crotch enhancements.”

Elias Makos is joined by Lionel Perez, Former city councilor and former leader of the Official Opposition at Montreal City Hall, and Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor. Robin des Ruelles – Robin of the alleys – says they are responsible for the Tuesday mass theft of goods from a Rachelle-Bery store.  Faced with the soaring price of subscriptions and the fragmenting of where everything is streamed, a growing number of people are resorting to stealing TV.  Prime Minister Mark Carney has decided to eliminate two roles created by Justin Trudeau. Former prime minister Stephen Harper says Canada needs to stop blaming Donald Trump and start adjusting to a harsher global reality.

Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, columnist for the Montreal Gazette, and president and founder of Trafalgar Strategies, and Graham Singh, Pastor at St-Jax Church. Men can refuse service from women at the SAAQ. The surprising news came out of the public hearings on Bill 9, the government’s effort to double down on secularism in Quebec. And speaking of Bill 9, secularism minister Jean-François Roberge is emphatic: The proposed law is not 'against certain religions.'  The now famous potholes on Notre-Dame Street that gave Montreal Mayor Sorraya Martinez Ferrada a couple of flat tires have been patched up. For the first time since the beginning of the Quebec Liberal party crisis, MNA Marwah Rizqy returned to the National Assembly yesterday as an independent.

Elias Makos is joined by Jonathan Kalles, Vice President at McMillan Vantage, a national public affairs firm, and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, 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. The mayor of Montreal posted a video last night of her car getting two flat tires, a victim of the cratered Notre-Dame Street.  Retired general Wayne Eyre says Canada should at least keep the option of nuclear weapons on the table. At an event honouring Stephen Harper in Ottawa last night, Harper and former PM Jean Chretien called on Canadians to stand united in the fact of threats from the U.S. 

Elias Makos starts the week of with Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante, and Gabriel Retta, special advisor to the current mayor. Just about two weeks ago, we learned that the SAQ would start delivering booze with Uber Eats. Faced with a rise in shoplifting, the SAQ has increased its in-store surveillance spending to $1.7 million last year Over the weekend, Journal de Montréal & Leger released new Quebec polling that shows a much tighter landscape than most were expecting. Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre survived his confidence vote Friday evening with a 87.4 percent approval rating.  Reports made to the City of Montreal for potholes have exploded since the beginning of the year, reaching a high not seen in more than a decade.  

Elias Makos caps the week off with Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada, and Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS. U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to impose steep tariffs on Canadian-made aircraft. The Business Council of Canada is questioning Prime Minister Mark Carney’s strategy on how to deal with U.S President Donald Trump.  What if a Middle Eastern country were to help the province bring the Nordiques back to life? The faith of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre will be determined today as he faces a confidence from members of his party. 

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 Political analyst Karim Boulos. The trains don’t run. And they were down again this morning. Oh, and the elevators don’t work. Should we get a REM refund? In Trois-Rivieres, the police have launched a voluntary campaign to get citizens to add their smart doorbell cameras to a surveillance camera registry. According to the results of a survey done by Radio-Canada, 31% of students admit using Artificial Intelligence to cheat.  Ontario Premier Doug Ford was not mincing words yesterday when asked about his opinion of a potential sovereignist as the next Premier of Quebec.