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.

On today's Big 5: Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer at Women in Governance, and Meeker Guerrier, commentator at Noovo and RDS.

• US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra issued a stern warning to Canadian politicians over mid-term interference, directly targeting Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and MP Anthony Housefather.
• Statistics Canada data revealed a nearly seven percent spike in return trips from the United States, raising questions about the strength of Canada's ongoing consumer boycott.
• Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov is fighting to keep his probationary driver's license after picking up major speeding tickets in his Audi RS Q8.

Joining Elias on today's Big 5 were Trudie Mason, veteran newscaster at CJAD 800 & Lea Streliski, Best-selling author, comedian and columnist.

Among the topics discussed

• Marwah Rizqy is going public with the tragic loss she and her husband Greg Kelly suffered recently. In a piece published in the Journal de Montréal titled La lettre à l’enfant que je n’aurai pas – or Letter to the child I will not have – the outgoing MNA opens up on losing her third child during pregnancy.
• In an attempt to gain popularity with the youth…Quebec Conservative leader Éric Duhaime decided to send a letter to over 46 thousand Quebecers between the ages of 18 and 22.
• Something we rarely cover on the Big Five – literary scandals. But this one hits close to home. Thélyson Orélien, a Haitian-born Quebec writer, was having quite the year. His debut novel, C’était ça ou mourir, went from a Quebec success to a literary sensation in France, earning international attention and major prize nominations.
• “AI-written speeches are taking over politics” – that’s the headline in the latest edition of The Economist catching a lot of attention.

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.

On today's Big 5: Victor Henriquez, public affairs and crisis management specialist at Public Strategy and Conseil, and Dan Delmar, independent political analyst, media strategist, and co-founder of TNKR Media.

• Quebec's final election debate on Radio-Canada focused heavily on a potential sovereignty referendum, with Premier Christine Fréchette and Éric Duhaime drawing hard lines against the PQ.
• Prime Minister Mark Carney revealed to The New York Times that Ottawa is preparing for extreme risks, including a potential U.S. military invasion, while warning against Canadian reliance on Elon Musk's Starlink.
• A new Leger poll indicates seventy percent of Canadians support seeking an associate membership with the European Union, though voters strongly oppose altering domestic laws to match European regulations.
• Outrage is growing over the murder of a forty-five-year-old Montreal woman during a work video call after reports surfaced that the prime suspect was recently released following an assault on police officers.