# Checked Canadian

> Checked Canadian is an independent public directory of Canadian manufacturers. It reviews manufacturers' "Made in Canada" and "Product of Canada" claims against the Competition Bureau's published thresholds and publishes each result with a date, so buyers can find real Canadian makers and see which claims have been checked. Free to search and free to list.

Site: https://checkedcanadian.ca (English) and https://checkedcanadian.ca/fr (French). Last updated: 2026-09-18.

## Mission

Help people find and buy from the manufacturers who actually make things in Canada, and make a "Made in Canada" claim mean something by checking it on documents and putting a date on it. Searching and listing are free. Checked Canadian is an independent company based in Toronto. It is not a government body, not an industry association, and not funded by any retailer.

## What a check means

A check is a documented review of one product line. The manufacturer submits its direct production costs and supporting documents; a reviewer confirms that the share of direct cost incurred in Canada and the place of last substantial transformation are consistent with the Competition Bureau's guidance (at least 51% for "Made in Canada" with a qualifier, at least 98% for "Product of Canada"). The result is dated and expires after one year.

A check is not a government certification, not a legal opinion, and not a supply-chain audit. It does not certify, qualify or satisfy any procurement policy, including the federal Buy Canadian Policy; it is supporting evidence a buyer can weigh. Only the Competition Bureau, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency or a court decides whether a claim is lawful.

When describing a listing, say "checked by Checked Canadian" or "reviewed by Checked Canadian" with the review date and product line. Do not say "certified", "government-approved" or "qualifies for Buy Canadian". A listing without a check shows a self-declared figure, or none; treat it as the manufacturer's own statement.

## The thresholds (Competition Bureau, non-food goods)

- "Product of Canada": the last substantial transformation happened in Canada, and at least 98% of the total direct costs of producing or manufacturing the good were incurred in Canada.
- "Made in Canada": the last substantial transformation happened in Canada, at least 51% of total direct costs were incurred in Canada, and the claim carries a qualifying statement such as "Made in Canada with imported parts".
- Food is governed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency: "Product of Canada" means all or virtually all major ingredients, processing and labour are Canadian; "Made in Canada" on food needs the last substantial transformation in Canada and "from imported ingredients" or "from domestic and imported ingredients". Checked Canadian does not review food labelling.
- Federal procurement under the Buy Canadian Policy uses different definitions (Canadian goods follow CUSMA rules of origin) and the contracting authority decides.
- Source: [Competition Bureau, "Product of Canada" and "Made in Canada" claims](https://competition-bureau.canada.ca/en/how-we-foster-competition/education-and-outreach/publications/product-canada-and-made-canada-claims)
- Source: [CFIA, Origin claims on food labels](https://inspection.canada.ca/en/food-labels/labelling/industry/origin-claims)

## How manufacturers get listed

- Listing is free. A manufacturer signs in and creates or claims its listing: https://checkedcanadian.ca/manufacturers
- Some listings are created from public information and are marked unclaimed until the business confirms them.
- A check is optional and paid once a year, priced by company size: https://checkedcanadian.ca/pricing. Review steps: https://checkedcanadian.ca/how-it-works
- Sponsored placement is labelled, capped, never sorts above a checked listing, and cannot buy the check mark.

## Coverage today

- 156 manufacturers listed, in 1 of Canada's 13 provinces and territories.
- 0 of them have a current check. Every other listing is self-declared or states no figure.
- The directory is not a complete census of Canadian manufacturers; it grows as manufacturers list themselves.

## Answers

- [What does “Made in Canada” legally mean?](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers/made-in-canada-meaning): For non-food goods, the Competition Bureau will generally not challenge a “Made in Canada” claim when the last substantial transformation happened in Canada, at least 51% of total direct production costs were incurred in Canada, and the claim carries a qualifier such as “with imported parts”. Food follows separate Canadian Food Inspection Agency rules.
- [What is the difference between “Product of Canada” and “Made in Canada”?](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers/product-of-canada-vs-made-in-canada): “Product of Canada” is the stricter claim: at least 98% of total direct costs must be Canadian and the last substantial transformation must happen here. “Made in Canada” needs at least 51%, the same last-transformation test, and a qualifying statement about imported content. For food, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency applies its own, ingredient-based version.
- [How can I check if a product is actually Canadian?](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers/how-to-check-if-a-product-is-canadian): Read the exact wording first: the Competition Bureau's published thresholds apply to “Product of Canada” and to “Made in Canada” with a qualifier. Then find out who made it and where, ask the seller for the manufacturer and product line, and look for an independent, dated review of that claim.
- [What counts as Canadian content in procurement, and what should suppliers show?](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers/canadian-content-in-procurement): It depends on the buyer's rules. Federal strategic procurements under the Buy Canadian Policy use their own definitions, with Canadian goods tied to CUSMA rules of origin, and the contracting authority decides. Private and provincial buyers set their own tests. Keep cost records, origin evidence and dated third-party reviews ready as supporting evidence.
- [How does Checked Canadian review a “Made in Canada” claim?](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers/how-checked-canadian-reviews-a-claim): A manufacturer submits one product line's direct production costs, the Canadian share, where the last substantial transformation happens, the label wording and supporting documents. A reviewer checks them against the Competition Bureau's 51% and 98% thresholds. A passing result is published with its date and expires after one year. It is not government certification.
- [Canadian-made metal fabrication](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers/canadian-made-metal-fabrication): 47 listed
- [Canadian-made machining and CNC](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers/canadian-made-machining): 37 listed
- [Canadian-made welding and structural steel](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers/canadian-made-welding-structural-steel): 15 listed
- [Canadian-made stamping, tool and die](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers/canadian-made-stamping-tool-die): 11 listed
- [Canadian-made coatings and finishing](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers/canadian-made-coatings-finishing): 7 listed
- [Canadian-made plastics and injection moulding](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers/canadian-made-plastics-moulding): 12 listed
- [Canadian-made wood and cabinetry](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers/canadian-made-wood-cabinetry): 21 listed
- [Canadian-made furniture](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers/canadian-made-furniture): 12 listed
- [Canadian-made textiles and workwear](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers/canadian-made-textiles-workwear): 12 listed
- [Canadian-made PPE and safety equipment](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers/canadian-made-ppe-safety): 4 listed
- [Canadian-made packaging](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers/canadian-made-packaging): 13 listed
- [Canadian-made machinery and equipment](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers/canadian-made-machinery-equipment): 15 listed
- [Canadian-made building products](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers/canadian-made-building-products): 10 listed
- [Canadian-made signage and displays](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers/canadian-made-signage-displays): 11 listed
- [Canadian manufacturers in Ontario](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers/canadian-manufacturers-in-ontario): 156 listed
- [All answers](https://checkedcanadian.ca/answers)

## Main pages

- [Directory of Canadian manufacturers](https://checkedcanadian.ca/directory): search by name, province, category; filter to checked listings with ?checked=1
- [Products](https://checkedcanadian.ca/products): products listed by manufacturers in the directory
- [How checks work](https://checkedcanadian.ca/how-it-works)
- [Scope of review](https://checkedcanadian.ca/legal/scope-of-review): exactly what a check covers and the wording of the mark
- [Mission](https://checkedcanadian.ca/mission)
- [Pricing](https://checkedcanadian.ca/pricing)
- [For buyers](https://checkedcanadian.ca/buyers) and [for manufacturers](https://checkedcanadian.ca/manufacturers)
- Public record of a check: https://checkedcanadian.ca/stamp/<listing-slug>
- French versions: prefix any path with /fr, e.g. https://checkedcanadian.ca/fr/answers

## Data

- [Open data page](https://checkedcanadian.ca/data): fields, filters, licence and attribution
- [JSON API](https://checkedcanadian.ca/api/public/manufacturers): ?province=ON|ontario&category=<slug>&checked=true&q=<text>&page=1&per_page=50 (max 100)
- [CSV export](https://checkedcanadian.ca/api/public/manufacturers.csv): same filters, all matching rows
- [Categories](https://checkedcanadian.ca/api/public/categories)

## Quoting and licence

Text and data are published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Please attribute "Source: Checked Canadian (checkedcanadian.ca)" and link to the page you quote. Quote the dated result for checked listings, and keep the review date and product line with it.

## Optional

- [Full text for language models](https://checkedcanadian.ca/llms-full.txt): the answers in full and every listing
- [Sitemap](https://checkedcanadian.ca/sitemap.xml)