Jay Farrar, in for 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 Justine McIntyre, strategic consultant and former city councillor on The Big 5.

• The Quebec Liberal Party has announced that a new leader will be crowned on March 14th next year.
• If you thought waiting at the hospital was long, imagine waiting on the phone for around two hours to talk to someone. That is what Santé Quebec is reporting regarding the average wait time to reach Info-Santé (811).
• A new Leger poll says only 35 percent of people believe that 2026 will be better than 2025.

Robyn Flynn, sitting in for Elias Makos, is joined by Dan Delmar, co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada and Sterling Downey, city councillor for the Desmarchais-Crawford district in Verdun on The Big 5.

• A segment that was dropped from the CBS investigative show “60 minutes” mysteriously showed up on Monday under the the branding of Canadian broadcaster.
• Mark Carney has named former Black Rock exec Mark Wiseman as Canada’s new ambassador.
• In a preview into what could happen after next year’s provincial election in Quebec, Alberta’s election agency has approved a proposed referendum question on the province separating from Canada.

Robyn Flynn, sitting in for Elias Makos, is joined by Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante and Andrew Caddell, columnist for the Hill Times and President of the Task Force on Linguistic policy on The Big 5.

• Federal conservative leader Pierre Poilievre says he is ready to collaborate with his federal colleagues in the No camp if a referendum were to be held.
• The city of Montreal will be putting back some of the parking spots back in the Ville-Marie Borough.
• A new study out of Cornell University says AI chatbots can successfully convince people to change their votes.

Paul Gott, Lead singer and guitarist for Montreal Punk Rock band the Ripcordz and a journalism professor at Concordia, 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.

• Christian Dubé has resigned from his position as Quebec’s Minister of Health and will sit as an independent MNA.
• In his year-end interviews, François Legault says that once Quebecers realize the PQ is dead serious about a referendum, their lead in the polls will evaporate. Is he right?
• Quebecers bought less alcohol, but paid more for it this year.
• How would you recap 2025?

Elias Makos is joined by Caroline Codsi, Founder & Chief Equity Officer, Women in Governance, and Sue Smith is a Montreal journalist and broadcaster.

• With Pablo Rodriguez out as leader, rumours are already swirling surrounding who will replace him.
• Three thousand dollars worth of food was stolen from a Metro grocery store on Monday in the Plateau. A group called Robins des ruelles says they are the ones responsible for the theft and posted an image of some of the stolen goods underneath a Christmas Tree in Parc Valois.
• Montreal is making it easier to live in tents along Notre-Dame Street. According to La Presse, the city will install trailers in the area starting early next year, allowing homeless people living in tents to keep warm and access basic amenities.
• Hockey Canada and Curling Canada say they have no plans to follow Skate Canada’s lead when it comes to future events in Alberta.

Elias Makos is joined by Meeker Guerrier, Commentator at Noovo and RDS, and Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor.

• Quebec Liberal Party Leader Pablo Rodriguez steps down
• Canada’s national figure skating body is blacklisting Alberta — saying the province is off-limits for major competitions because of its new law on transgender athletes.
• Laval wants to abandon its municipal policy on public art.

On this Tuesday edition of the BIG 5, Elias is joined by Neil Drabkin, is a lawyer who served as federal prosecutor and a political commentator who was a chief of staff in the Harper government and Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada.

• Another morning, another very bad Journal de Montreal front page for Pablo Rodriguez. The paper reports on a fundraiser held for Rodriguez in April, where up to 20 people received envelopes of $500 cash in exchange for their campaign contributions.
• The Bondi Beach attack has many Jewish Canadians questioning their safety here in Canada. Many are pointing out the parallels between Australia and Canada when it comes to antisemitic events of the last few years.
• Let’s head to Ontario, where the Ford government is pitching a big new vision for Niagara Falls — one it’s calling the “Vegas of the North.”

Elias Makos starts off the week with Jimmy Zoubris, Montreal businessman, longtime activist and former special advisor to Valerie Plante, and Jonathan Kalles, Vice President at McMillan Vantage, a national public affairs firm, and former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

• Fifteen people, including a 10-year-old girl, were killed in a shooting targeting the country's Jewish community at a Hanukkah event on Sydney's Bondi Beach over the weekend. In response, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada has asked police to increase security after the attack, and the SPVM say they will remain on heightened alert.
• A group of language experts says the federal government is sending the wrong signal by slipping into British spelling in official documents — including the 2025 budget. In a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, they argue that if Canada wants to project confidence and identity, it should start by using its own English on the page.
• Snow removal operations for the first big snow dump of the year are wrapping up, and one thing has become clear under the new administration: Bike paths are not the priority anymore. The city going so far as to ask cyclists to abandon their bikes and take public transit.