Afternoon front page: Health care in crisis; fake maple syrup; more

It’s Friday, August 21. Here are the top stories we’re following today.

A new national survey has found that 63 per cent of Canadians describe health care in their province as being in a state of crisis, while 55 per cent believe the system has gotten worse over the past five years. The research, which was conducted by Abacus Data and commissioned by the Canadian Health Coalition, also noted that these concerns cross political lines, with a majority of Conservative (58 per cent) and NDP (54 per cent) supporters believing the system has become worse. Nearly half of Liberal supporters (49 per cent) share the same opinion.

Metro, Sobeys and Loblaw are now defendants in a proposed class action over maple syrup tests found to be half cane sugar. The four are accused of demonstrating “negligence, recklessness, carelessness, or serious indifference” by putting the syrup on their shelves. The suit says the price alone should have prompted them to check it. The proposed class covers anyone in Canada who bought a can produced by 9227-8712 Quebec Inc. since Oct. 5, 2010, which the suit gives as the date Erabliere Steve Bourdeau began selling maple syrup. Hundreds of thousands of people, and possibly millions, could be eligible.

Canada’s tech industry is warning that the country continues to lose its best and brightest entrepreneurs to the U.S., an issue that has taken on new urgency as tariff threats have prompted Ottawa to try to diversify away from the U.S. economy. This week, various tech entrepreneurs, politicians and economists began to weigh in on data that show just how big the problem has become. According to recent figures, there are at least 517 U.S.-based tech firms with Canadian founders — or, entrepreneurs who were educated in Canada but later left for the U.S. — that have together raised more than US$400 billion.

Leaders among Montreal’s legal and medical communities are condemning an anti-Israel motion to be voted upon by city council next week. Brought by the opposition Projet Montréal party, the motion’s aim is to “recognize and denounce the apartheid regime in Palestine and the genocide being perpetrated there.” Local lawyers are questioning whether the proposed measure falls within the powers conferred on the city by the provincial legislature, noting that city councils do not determine international law.

Wab Kinew just wants to watch the world burn. After Prime Minister Mark Carney briefed the provinces on the details of the coming trade deal with the Americans, the Manitoba premier thought it wise to attack Carney and insult Donald Trump, while also taking credit for any deal in the first place. If Kinew really has designs on the federal Liberal leadership at some point, I suppose this is one way to kick off a campaign …

Canada has its own Jason Ardays — our versions of the Black British academic who recently committed suicide after it was revealed that he plagiarized much of his academic work and invented a fabulist version of his personal history. The Canadian versions might not be as outlandish — but they almost certainly exist. The system incentivizes their creation.