On this Friday edition of the BIG 5, Elias is joined by political analyst Karim Boulos 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.

• Dozens of Montreal school staff have been let go, suspended or resigned following the province’s expanded secularism bill and religious symbols ban comes into full effect.
• It’s official: Quebecers have the Chronically Online Disease. The average screen time jumped an extra hour a day compared to last year.
• Should the Quebec government be doing business with TicketMaster?

Elias Makos is joined by Victor Henriquez, Public affairs and crisis management specialist at Public Strategy and Conseil, and Dan Delmar, Co-founder of the content marketing firm TNKR Media and co-host of the podcast Inspiring Entrepreneurs Canada.

• Quebec’s Finance Minister Eric Girard says just the thought of a referendum is costing the Quebec government $20 million a year.
• Pierre Poilievre is undergoing a makeover - the Conservative leader has determined that if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, and will start to miss more and more time in the House of Commons to work on other things like economic speeches and trips.
• Has anyone seen Immigration Minister Lena Diab lately? She has not been visible as of late and many including her colleagues inside the Federal Liberal party have taken notice.
• Sweden wants to drastically increase the number of deportations involving convicted immigrants.

Elias Makos is joined by Trudie Mason, veteran Newscaster here at CJAD 800, and Justine McIntyre, Strategic consultant and former city councillor.

• A new poll out from Pallas Data, Qc125 and L’actualité this morning shows a neck and neck race in Quebec, with the PQ having a mere three-point lead over the new-and-improved Charles Milliard Liberals.
• The province is getting very close to a recession. That is what the Institut du Quebec has revealed in its latest economic growth figures.
• Speaking this week on CNN, one of the apparent frontrunners for Democratic presidential nomination, Gavin Newson, said that his party needs to be more “culturally normal.” Is he right?
• The more you take out the trash, the more taxes you will pay. That is what a family in the lower Laurentians discovered after getting a $460 tax increase for having their garbage collected every week.
• Angus Reid now shows a 13-point lead by the Liberals over the Conservatives. Canadians also overwhelmingly approve of how Mark Carney is handling the U.S.