Canada

Identifying Prospective Business Partners


Fortunately, there are a multitude of sources of information on identifying prospective business partners in Canada.  The purpose of this page is to help you cut through the plethora of information and identify the best potential business contact.  Let's look at the following question first:

Who imports my product?

The Strategis website is unlike any other that I've run across inasmuch as it will actually identify specific importers of various products free of charge.

  • Click here to enter the Canadian Importers Database.

  • Click on "Product Selection".

  • Enter the 6-10 digit (6-digit - general / 10-digit - specific) HS Code that you previously identified and select "Generate Report."

You may also wish to contact the following:

Canadian Importers Association, Inc.
438 University Avenue, Suite 1618
PO Box 60
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 2K8
Tel: (416) 595-5333
Fax: (416) 595-8226
Internet website: www.importers.ca

How can I find end users or manufacturers of my product?

One potential source not to be overlooked is the US Department of Commerce's Industry Sector Analysis which often includes listings of prospective agents or distributors.  If your product is truly unique, you might wish to consider the use of the U.S. Department of Commerce's services designed to identify prospective agents, distributors or joint venture partners.

Strategis provides yet another excellent source of information:

  1. From the main menu of http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/engdoc/main.html, click on "Information by Industrial Sector" on the left hand side.
  2. Click on "A" for Automotive.
  3. You'll find a wide variety of industry information on the left hand panel.

Statistics Canada is also a valuable resource:

  1. Go to http://www.statcan.gc.ca/start-debut-eng.html
  2. Search for your product
  3. Select the appropriate category (there may be a small fee)

Like the US, Canada has a number of industrial directories.  The following are are some of the better:

The Canadian Trade Index was first published in the year 1900 by the Alliance of Manufacturers and Exporters Canada (formerly the Canadian Manufacturers Association). The Canadian Trade Index provides detailed information regarding over 32,000 Canadian companies, including 30,000 Manufacturers, 11,500 Active Exporters, 7,000 Distributors of products in Canada, and 3,700 Service companies for manufactured products.  http://www.ctidirectory.com/ 
Scott's Directories have provided the most accurate lists available of Canadian manufacturing, distribution and business service companies for over 40 years. http://www.scottsinfo.com/ 
Canadian Company Capabilities - An online database with over 35,000 Canadian companies and 200,000 products and services.  http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/
Don't be fooled by the login.  Press it to find specific information about your prospective business partner. http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/ 

We'll explore "Identifying trade associations, trade publications and trade shows" next.


[ Up ] [ Canada - Determining if a Market Exists for Your Product or Service ] [ Canada - Identifying Prospective Business Partners ] [ Canada - Identifying Trade Associations, Trade Publications and Trade Shows ] [ Canada - Marking and Labeling ] [ Canada - Researching the Market ]

Date Updated: October 31, 2010






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