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: Sue Smith, Montreal journalist and broadcaster, and political analyst Karim Boulos.

• Premier-designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon meets with outgoing Premier Christine Fréchette today to kick off the government transition amid bleak provincial jobs numbers.
• Prime Minister Mark Carney released a Thanksgiving video urging Alberta voters to choose national unity as advanced referendum polling opens today.
• The panel marks the upcoming sixtieth anniversary of the Montreal Metro, balancing celebration with concerns over the transit system's aging infrastructure.
• Stranded Quebec travellers expressed outrage at Global Affairs Canada after the Canadian embassy in earthquake-stricken Panama closed for Thanksgiving.
• A controversial US military proposal to livestream the December execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan sparked a fierce global debate on public transparency versus barbarism.