These Are the Most Trusted Brands in Canada by Industry

We Canadians are a loyal bunch.

The University of Victoria’s Gustavson School of Business just released a survey revealing which consumer brands Canadians trust most – and five of the top 10 are based right here in Canada.

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Tim Horton’s topped the list, proving that online boycott movements are, in fact, very futile. President’s Choice is the second most trusted brand among Canadians, which can only mean we don’t really care that much about hummus. Shoppers Drug Mart, Google, and Canadian Tire rounded out the top five, in that order.

Over 3,000 Canadian consumers participated in the survey, which ranked a total of 249 brands in 22 industries. These are the most trusted brands in each respective industry:

Banks: Toronto Dominion Bank
Beer: Alexander Keith’s

Cars: Honda
Coffee/Tea: DAVIDsTEA
Confectionery/Snack Foods: Cadbury
Consumer Packaged Goods: President’s Choice


Dairy: Natrel
Energy Companies: Shell
Hotels: Holiday Inn
Insurance: Manulife
Media: CTV


Natural/Health: Jamieson
Pharmacy: Shoppers Drug Mart
Restaurants/Takeout: Tim Hortons
Retailers (non-drug): Canadian Tire


Soft Drinks/Juices/Waters: Coca-Cola
Supermarkets: Walmart
Technology: Google
Telecoms/Cable: TELUS
Travel: Westjet

So, what constitutes trust between a human being and a brand? These corporations aren’t going to cheat on you with the girl next door or conspire to murder your family, after all.

Consumers are more likely to recommend brands they see as being “honest, consistent and reliable,” which is dependent on both functional and emotional trust. Quality, reliability and consistency are metrics of functional trust, while emotional trust hinges on factors like workplace practices, environmental policies and community responsibility.

“It’s the emotional trust that differentiates brands, and it comes from a deeper alignment between what the brand is doing and what our own interests are,” says Saul Klein, Dean of the Gustavson School of Business.

Sounds a little too much like corporations are people.

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