News editor | Alex Cosh |
|---|---|
Opinion editor | Davide Mastracci |
| Founded | 2021 |
The Maple is an independent, left-wing Canadian online news publication launched in 2021.12 The Maple was included in a list of independent Canadian news publications by The Griffins' Nest, a high school newspaper in Vancouver, in December 2021.3
History
In 2017, The Maple began as nonprofit North99, a social media-led campaign that sought to provide a platform for working class issues in Canada.1 North99 transitioned to The Maple in 2021.1
In March 2023, The Maple and progressive publication Passage merged.14
Coverage
The Maple has extensively covered right-wing media in Canada, as well as the Gaza war.56
The managing editor for The Maple's opinion section is Davide Mastracci, previously an associate opinion editor at HuffPost Canada.7 Mastracci has written about the Israel lobby in Canada, and has been sceptical of reports about rising antisemitism. He has advocated for freedom of speech on the Gaza war protests.8
Canadian IDF soldiers
In 2025, The Maple published a list of 85 Canadian citizens who served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).9 The Maple subsequently published Find IDF Soldiers, a database of Canadians in the IDF, compiled using publicly available information.1011 The website does not accuse the people listed of committing war crimes or breaking Canadian law, and states it does not encourage harassment.8
The publication of Find IDF Soldiers was condemned by Paul Hirschson, Israel's consul-general in Montreal.8 Several members of the list campaigned for the website to be shut down.12
In late 2026, The Maple published "GTA [Greater Toronto Area] to IDF", a database of "GTA institutions associated with Canadians who served in Israel's military". The Israel Law Center subsequently advocated for online payment provider Stripe to revoke access to The Maple's website.1314
On April 22, 2026, a group of Canadian pro-Palestinian organizations, including Palestinian and Jewish Unity, Ontario Palestinian Rights Association, Canadian Foreign Policy Institute, and Just Peace Advocates, submitted a complain to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), accusing 11 Jewish schools of "promoting the Israeli military and potentially aiding and abetting illegal military recruiting."15 The complaint utilized information from The Maple's GTA to IDF database.15 In a statement, the organizations wrote, "This type of activity is plainly in contravention of the CRA's rules for registered charities that states plainly, "increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of Canada's armed forces is charitable, but supporting the armed forces of another country is not.""1617 The statement also cited Canada's Foreign Enlistment Act, writing that "recruiting or inducing any person or body of persons to enlist or accept any commission in a foreign military is illegal".16
References
References
- Williamson-Fraser, Sheridan (2024-05-22). "Home Alone - The Review of Journalism". Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- Oct 8, Tara Al-Alami; Read, 2024 10 Min. "Felling the corporate media beast". briarpatchmagazine.com. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - "The Nest's List of Independent News Media". The Griffins’ Nest. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- with, Interview (2023-06-06). "Left-Wing Media Is Expanding Its Reach in Canada". jacobin.com. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- "Canada ignores its own warnings on Israel (w/ Alex Cosh of The Maple)". CJPME - English. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- Mitrovica, Andrew. "The Canadian arms embargo on Israel that was not". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- "Davide Mastracci | HuffPost". www.huffpost.com. Archived from the original on 2022-08-23. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- Dayan, Linda (March 10, 2025). "'We know what Jew lists mean': Canadian IDF database sparks alarm in Jewish community". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2026-05-17. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- Greenberg, Courtney (Feb 26, 2025). "85 Canadian Jews who served in Israeli military listed on publication's website". National Post.
- Rothman, Jonathan (2025-03-10). "Canadian veterans of the IDF profiled by an anti-Israel website are considering a class-action lawsuit". The Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- Karmel, Ariela (2025-07-20). "'I'm afraid to go home': Canadian IDF soldiers fear fallout from war crimes probe". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- Star, North (2026-01-21). "Canadians with IDF ties react to their country's 'witch hunt' against former Israeli soldiers". The Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- Rothman, Jonathan (2026-02-04). "Israeli legal group urges online payment platforms to suspend access to a website that publishes data on Canadians in the IDF". The Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- Global, ynet; Global, ynet (2026-01-25). "Israeli NGO Shurat HaDin urges Canada to shut down site accused of creating 'target list' of Jewish institutions". Ynetglobal. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- "CRA complaint filed against Jewish schools over Israeli military links | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2026-04-28. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
- Medjool2 (2026-04-22). "Schools are supporting the Israeli military with our tax dollars. The CRA must take action. › Just Peace Advocates". Retrieved 2026-05-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/jewish-national-fund-cra-revoke-charitable-status-1.7276839