Réal Fortin

My name is Réal Fortin. I'm a Canadian Armed Forces veteran, and I built this platform because I needed it and it didn't exist.

A few years back, during a rough stretch in Canada-US trade relations, I decided to buy a new truck. Simple enough goal: I wanted a vehicle that supported Canadian manufacturing. That turned into hours of digging through government databases, manufacturer disclosure forms, and automotive sites that were built to sell me a vehicle, not inform me. The data was out there, scattered across NHTSA filings, AALA submissions and window sticker disclosures, but no one had pulled it together in a way that made sense to a regular person trying to make a values-based decision.

In the end, there was no Canadian-built compact pickup to buy. So I made the most informed call I could. I bought a Toyota Tacoma. It's assembled in Mexico, within the Canada–U.S.–Mexico trade region, by a manufacturer with a significant Canadian manufacturing presence. It wasn't a perfect answer, but it was a principled one. I knew exactly why I made that call.

Most Canadians don't have the time or inclination to do what I did. And they shouldn't have to.

The O Canada Score pulls together final assembly location, reported combined U.S./Canadian parts content, engine or electric-motor origin, and transmission origin into one number. It shows its work, and what you do with it is your call.

I'm not trying to tell you what to buy. I'm trying to make sure you actually know what you're buying.

If that score ends up helping even a handful of Canadians make a purchasing decision that keeps one more job in this country, that's worth something real to me.