Canada-U.S. relations took another hit this week. After the most recent round trade talks collapsed over the weekend, the United States imposed 50% tariffs on a wide range of Canadian goods starting August 22, including dairy, alcohol, electronics and construction materials. Canada is set to respond with its own counter-tariffs on hundreds of items as of September 8.
Back when this trade war first kicked off in February 2025, we put together a guide to spotting grocery items made in Canada, since so many Quebecers were suddenly scanning labels at the store for the first time.
But what about the stores themselves? A lot of the banners Quebecers shop at every day trace back to American ownership, while some Canadian and Quebec-based alternatives fly a little more under the radar.
Whether you’re doing your weekly grocery run, tackling a home renovation project, hunting for deals, or picking up pharmacy essentials, there are plenty of Canadian and Quebec businesses offering products that are just as good, if not better, than their American counterparts.
Here’s where to look.
Grocery stores
Quebec has no shortage of local grocery banners to choose from, and most trace back to one of three Canadian parent companies: Loblaw, Sobeys or Metro. With grocery bills already climbing thanks to the new tariffs, more Quebecers are paying closer attention to where their food actually comes from.
Canadian and Quebec grocery stores:
- Metro (including Metro Plus)
- IGA (a Sobeys banner)
- Super C (a Metro banner)
- Adonis (a Metro banner)
- Maxi (a Loblaw banner)
- Provigo (a Loblaw banner)
- Avril Supermarché Santé (specializes in organic and natural products)
- Marchés Tradition (a Sobeys banner)
- Bonichoix (a Sobeys banner, small local grocers)
- Mayrand (an Empire Company Limited banner, wholesale food warehouse)
American grocery stores:
Hardware stores
With construction materials and electronics now caught up in the 50% tariffs, shopping Canadian in this category could start showing up on your renovation bill. That said, with all the ownership changes and buyouts this sector has seen lately, figuring out what actually counts as “local” isn’t always straightforward.
Canadian and Quebec hardware stores:
- Canac (Quebec chain for hardware and construction materials)
- Patrick Morin (Quebec hardware and reno chain, bought out by Home Hardware and Quebec investors)
- BMR (Quebec hardware banner owned by Sollio Groupe Coopératif)
- Canadian Tire (Canadian chain covering home, auto, outdoor and reno)
- Home Hardware (Canadian hardware chain run as a co-op)
American hardware stores:
- Home Depot
- RONA
- Réno-Dépôt
Worth noting: RONA and Réno-Dépôt used to be fully Canadian-owned, but are now held by U.S. investment firm Sycamore Partners. That said, RONA has since been spun off as its own standalone company, and its head office remains in Boucherville. Both chains still work with plenty of Canadian and Quebec suppliers and continue to run local buying initiatives in-store.
Discount stores
With a lot of imported American products about to get pricier, these homegrown discount banners are a solid way to keep shopping smart without the extra markup.
Canadian and Quebec discount stores:
- Tigre Géant (Canadian chain for clothing, food and household goods at low prices)
- Dollarama (Canadian discount chain)
- Hart (Quebec discount chain for clothing, furniture and household items)
- Rossy (Quebec discount chain with a wide product range, including clothing and household goods)
- Magi-Prix, Dollar Extra Plus and Entrepôt en Folie (Quebec discount chains carrying everyday items)
- Korvette (Quebec discount chain founded in 1958, now owned by Paul Nassar, who also owns Hart)
American discount stores:
Pharmacies
This one’s slightly complicated since a few pharmacy chains here are now affiliated with American pharmaceutical companies, so it’s worth understanding the full picture before you pick where to fill your next prescription.
Canadian and Quebec pharmacies:
- Jean Coutu (Quebec pharmacy chain, owned by Metro)
- Brunet (Quebec pharmacy chain, owned by Metro)
- Familiprix (Quebec pharmacy chain run as a co-op)
- Accès Pharma (Quebec pharmacy chain located inside Walmart stores in the province)
- Pharmaprix (Canadian pharmacy chain, the Quebec banner of Shoppers Drug Mart, owned by Loblaw)
Uniprix and Proxim are both owned by McKesson Canada, the Canadian arm of American pharmaceutical company McKesson Corporation. That said, both still operate as independent, pharmacist-owned pharmacies at the store level.
American pharmacies:
Coffee chains
No list like this is complete without coffee, since it’s most people’s first stop of the day. With that said, one local chain isn’t as Canadian as it might seem. Here’s what to look for if you want to keep your coffee run fully local.
Canadian and Quebec coffee chains:
- Van Houtte (operated by Quebec’s Groupe MTY, though the brand and coffee production belong to American company Keurig Dr Pepper)
- Second Cup
- Café Dépôt
- Brûlerie St-Denis
- Any other local café in your neighbourhood
American coffee chains:
- Starbucks
- Dunkin’
- McCafé
Other:
Tim Hortons’ Canadian status is debatable, which is why we’ve placed the chain in its own category.
So while the maple leaf branding, the Canadian roastery, and the 1,500 or so local franchise owners are all real, the ownership picture is a lot murkier than the logo suggests.
This story was inspired by the article “33 chaînes canadiennes et québécoises pour remplacer celles des États-Unis au quotidien” which was originally published on Narcity.
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