The Big Five Podcast

Akil Alleyne is joined by Meeker Guerrier, commentator at Noovo and RDS, and Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, and columnist for the Montreal Gazette. Watchdogs cleared former Liberal leader Pablo Rodriguez of wrongdoing, suspecting leaked text messages were completely fabricated. A new Léger poll shows the CAQ jumping four points into a second-p...

Akil Alleyne is joined by Daniel Tran, Director of Communication and Government Relations at Casacom, and Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist, and former special advisor to Valerie Plante. Trade negotiations collapsed after Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected late US demands, sparking a full-blown tariff war. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Christine Fréchette unit...

Trudie Mason is joined by Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, and columnist for the Montreal Gazette, and Lea Streliski, Best-selling author, comedian and columnist. Canada and the U.S. appear to be getting closer to a trade agreement, with Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc saying the two sides are “very close” after another round of neg...

Trudie Mason hosts Dan Delmar, media strategist, co-founder of TNKR Media, and independent political analyst, and Akil Alleyne, reporter, commentator, and manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program. Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette warns she will block a Canada-US trade deal unless supply management and cultural protections are fully preserved. A fresh poll reveals ne...

Trudie Mason is joined by Meeker Guerrier, commentator at Noovo and RDS, and political analyst Karim Boulos. Donald Trump delayed the fifty percent tariff deadline by three days as a pending Canada-US trade deal takes shape. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon pledged to abolish Santé Québec, claiming the agency added massive administrative costs without improving healthcare. OpenAI is launchin...

Trudie Mason is with Andrew Caddell, columnist for the Hill Times and President of the Task Force on Linguistic Policy, and Paul Gott, lead singer of the Ripcordz and journalism professor at Concordia. PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon pledged to delay any Quebec independence referendum until Donald Trump leaves the White House. Quebec and Newfoundland signed a seventy billion dollar deal reshapi...

Trudie Mason is with Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist, and former special advisor to Valerie Plante, and Gabriel Retta, special advisor to the mayor. A new Abacus Data poll shows the Carney government's support in Quebec plummeted by eleven points. Canada and the US remain locked in tense negotiations less than forty-eight hours before a massive tariff deadline. CF Montr&eacu...

Trudie Mason welcomes in Karim Boulos, Political Analyst, and Daniel Tran, Director of Communication and governmental relations at Casacom. The City of Montreal is warning that the 2026 UCI Road World Championships, taking place September 20–27, will bring the most significant traffic disruptions in recent memory. Radio Canada is reporting new details this morning in the new finalized deal b...

Trudie Mason hosts Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer at Women in Governance, and Lionel Perez, former Montreal opposition leader and CEO of CorpCentre. [ 1 ] Quebec Liberal candidate Farnell Morissett faced heavy criticism for claiming Bill 101 lets the government secretly snoop through phones. Ottawa, Quebec, and Newfoundland are expected to unveil a major new agreement reviving...

Trudie Mason is with Dan Delmar, co-founder of TNKR Media and co-host of the Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada podcast, and Akil Alleyne, reporter, commentator, and manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program. Police Chief Fady Dagher faced community frustration after stating that fixing the culture at Station 39 could take up to ten years. A new Synopsis-Lapresse poll keeps the P...

Trudie Mason is joined by Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, and columnist for the Montreal Gazette, and Catherine Hogan, high school teacher at Westwood Senior High in Hudson. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon and Leslie Roberts sparred in opposing columns over the future of Quebec's English-speaking community. A new Leger poll puts the PQ in the lead at thirty...

Trudie Mason is joined by Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist, and former special advisor to Valerie Plante, and Meeker Guerrier, commentator at Noovo and RDS. The CAQ launched economy-focused campaign ads while the PQ hit back with billboards targeting unfulfilled promises. Canada is considering alcohol, dairy, and auto concessions to avoid a fifty percent US tariff deadline on...

Trudie Mason is joined by Lionel Perez, Former city councilor and former leader of the Official Opposition at Montreal City Hall, and Andrew Caddell, columnist for the Hill Times and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy. Montreal's iconic rainbow-coloured balls will return to the Gay Village as part of a $200-million redevelopment of Sainte-Catherine Street East. The PLQ added two big...

Trudie Mason is with Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer at Women in Governance, and Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, and columnist for the Montreal Gazette.  A new Pallas Data-Qc125 poll reveals the PQ leading with thirty-one percent as the CAQ slips among francophone voters. The Montreal Economic Institute reported that thirty-fiv...

Trudie Mason is joined by political analyst Karim Boulos, and Akil Alleyne, reporter, commentator, and manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program. The Parliamentary Budget Officer will investigate potential cost overruns and revenue-sharing changes in the Gordie Howe Bridge agreement. Montreal unveiled a Chinatown revitalization strategy featuring dedicated cleaning brigades a...

Trudie Mason welcomes in Jonathan Kalles, Senior Vice President at Vantage and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist, and former special advisor to Valerie Plante. A new Nanos Research poll shows thirty-three percent of Canadians believe no current Conservative politician can defeat Mark Carney. The Department of National Defenc...

Trudie Mason is joined by Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada, and Tasha Kheiriddin, a writer and commentator for the National Post, GZero Media, and Substack. WestJet and the union representing its 4,400 flight attendants have reached a tentative collective agreement, bringing an end to strike action and the ope...

Trudie Mason is joined by Daniel Tran, Director of Communication and Governmental Relations at Casacom, and Victor Henriquez, Public Affairs and Crisis Management specialist at Public Strategy and Conseil. A new Leger survey shows that despite a majority of Canadians believing the U.S tariffs are a threat, whether we should respond with tariffs of our own is splitting the population right down the...

Trudie Mason is with Andrew Caddell, columnist for the Hill Times and President of the Task Force on Linguistic Policy, and Catherine Hogan, high school teacher at Westwood Senior High in Hudson. Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke sparked fierce debate by suggesting retirees and non-taxpayers should lose voting rights. Liberal leader Charles Milliard pledged stronger interprovincial alliances, drawing he...

Trudie Mason welcomes in Lea Streliski, best-selling author, comedian, and columnist, and Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, and columnist for the Montreal Gazette. NDP Leader Avi Lewis is taking intensive French immersion courses to win back declining Quebec support. Chrystia Freeland published a New York Times piece slamming Donald Trump as the bully-i...

Trudie Mason is with Meeker Guerrier, commentator at Noovo and RDS, and Dan Delmar, co-founder of TNKR Media and co-host of the Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada podcast. [ 1 , 2 ] The Saint-Pierre Interchange will be completely rebuilt to include bus and bike lanes, though the final cost remains unknown. Aviation experts are criticizing a one hundred and forty-four day suspension for a helicopter pi...

Trudie Mason is joined by Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist, and former special advisor to Valerie Plante, and Akil Alleyne, reporter, commentator, and manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program. Prime Minister Mark Carney set three summer by-elections, including a tight three-way race in Chicoutimi—Le Fjord. A bleak new study reveals ten percent of...

Joining Trudie Mason The Big Five this morning were Lionel Perez, former city councilor and former leader of the Official Opposition at Montreal City Hall and political analyst Karim Boulos. Among the topics discussed on The Big Five If you thought Prime Minister Mark Carney was going to immediately strike back at the U.S after President Donald Trump announced new 50 percent tariffs, then you are...

Trudie Mason welcomes in Raphaël Melançon, political analyst for CTV Montreal and CJAD 800, and columnist for the Montreal Gazette, and Victor Henriquez, Public affairs and crisis management specialist at Public Strategy and Conseil. Ontario Premier Doug Ford wants Canada to leverage our most valuable resources to hit back at the U.S. after the White House announced plans for new...

Trudie Mason is joined by Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS, and Andrew Caddell, columnist for the Hill Times and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy. The premiers of nine provinces announced that they’re removing major barriers to interprovincial sales of alcohol. While Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette agreed with the deal, she was not one of the premi...