Market Research Companies in Canada

Key figures for researchers

Population

41.5 million (1 January 2026, preliminary estimate)¹

Largest provinces

Ontario 16.1m, Quebec 9.0m, British Columbia 5.7m, Alberta 5.0m (1 January 2026)¹

Largest metropolitan areas

Toronto 6.2m, Montréal 4.3m, Vancouver 2.6m (2021 census)²

Official languages

87.1% can speak English, 29.1% can speak French (2021 census)²

French in Quebec

82.2% have French as first official language spoken (2021 census)³

Immigrants

23.0% of the population, more than 8.3 million people (2021 census)⁴

Indigenous peoples

1.8 million, 5.0% of the population (2021 census)⁵

Internet users

94.4% of individuals (2024)⁶

Mobile subscriptions

94 per 100 people (2024)⁷

GDP per capita

about US$55,700 (2025)⁸

Research guide

Research landscape

Canada has a well-established research industry, with most agencies, field services and panel providers based in the large cities, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver first. Full-service agencies work alongside specialist qualitative, B2B, healthcare, public opinion and data analytics firms, as well as independent field and panel suppliers.

The industry body is the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC), formed in late 2018 after the closure of the former association, MRIA. CRIC adopted the international ESOMAR and ICC standards for market, opinion and social research and data analytics, and recognises agencies that pass an independent review of their practices with the CRIC Accredited Agency Seal.

Languages and fieldwork

Canada has two official languages: 87.1% of people can hold a conversation in English and 29.1% in French, and 18.0% are bilingual. In Quebec, 82.2% of people have French as their first official language spoken: a questionnaire for Quebec, or for a national sample, should be offered in French, translated and checked by a Quebec French speaker.

The population is very diverse: 23.0% of people are immigrants, the highest share on record, and the largest racialized groups are South Asian (7.1%), Chinese (4.7%) and Black (4.3%). Some studies add other languages, such as Mandarin or Punjabi, or targeted recruitment. Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) number 1.8 million, 5.0% of the population; research with Indigenous communities usually calls for specific engagement and ethics procedures.

A national sample must cover a very large territory with six time zones, from Newfoundland to Pacific time (four and a half hours apart): schedule telephone shifts and online reminders accordingly. Ontario (16.1 million people) and Quebec (9.0 million) make up more than half of the population, while the three territories together have fewer than 140,000 inhabitants and are often excluded or boosted.

Which methods work

Connectivity is very high: 94.4% of individuals use the internet (World Bank, 2024), and 95% of Canadians aged 15 and over used it in 2022 according to Statistics Canada. Online surveys using access panels are the dominant method for consumer research, and online communities and video interviews are widely used for qualitative work.

Older people are well connected but not entirely online: in 2022, 82.6% of people aged 65 and over and 72% of those aged 75 and over used the internet. Telephone (CATI) remains used for older audiences, public opinion polls, B2B decision makers and rural or northern areas. Calls made for market research, polls or surveys are not considered telemarketing under the CRTC rules. In-person focus groups are usually held in viewing facilities in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary.

Timing

Avoid the Christmas and New Year period: in Ontario, for example, the 2026–27 school winter break runs from 21 December 2026 to 1 January 2027. Plan around federal and provincial holidays, including Canada Day (1 July), Labour Day (September), Thanksgiving (second Monday in October) and Remembrance Day. In Quebec, the Fête nationale (24 June) and Canada Day a week later shorten fieldwork at the start of summer.

The school year typically runs from early September to the end of June, with a March break (15 to 19 March 2027 in Ontario; dates vary by province). July and August are harder for B2B targets. In winter, snow and cold can slow down face-to-face fieldwork and in-store work, especially outside the big cities.

Data protection

Personal data used in commercial activities is governed by the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), supervised by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec have their own private-sector laws, deemed substantially similar; PIPEDA still applies when personal information crosses provincial or national borders.

In Quebec, Law 25 modernised the private-sector privacy law, supervised by the Commission d’accès à l’information (CAI). Most of its changes came into force on 22 September 2023, including a privacy impact assessment before personal information is transferred outside Quebec. Administrative penalties can reach C$10 million or 2% of worldwide turnover. Ask your agency where the data is hosted, how respondents are informed and how identifiable data, recordings or video will be shared with you.

Working with a local agency

• Share a clear brief: objectives, target, sample size, provinces and regions, method, languages (English and French) and deadline.
• Ask whether the agency holds the CRIC Accredited Agency Seal or follows the CRIC standards.
• Ask which panels or fieldwork suppliers will be used, and how fraud, duplicates and inattentive respondents are removed.
• Check who translates and validates the French version, and whether Quebec respondents are interviewed in French.
• Agree in writing how personal data is handled under PIPEDA or Quebec’s Law 25, where it is hosted and the retention period.
• Compare several proposals: you can send one request to up to 5 companies from this page.