With trade wars reshaping the economy, Canadian consumers are turning inward – over 80% say they’re buying more Canadian products.
What does this mean for businesses and the .CA domain?
We sat down with Byron Holland, CEO of CIRA, to find out.
OP: How was 2024 for the .CA ccTLD?
BH: Last year .CA reached a big milestone with more than 3.4 million domains under management, despite challenging economic conditions in Canada, with rising inflation and slowing economic growth. While domain name industry growth has slowed overall, .CA domain growth continues to outpace many ccTLDs, including the CENTR Top 30.
Despite our forecast, we’ve seen a reduction in cancellations from the previous year, and renewal rates reached 83%. This is a great sign that we continue to have a strong and loyal customer base.
CIRA is at a crossroads. We’ve made major investments that have set the stage for the next phase of .CA growth. All these changes, investments, and activities, as always, are aligned with our purpose – a trusted internet for Canadians.
OP: In 2023 alone, Canada’s population grew by 3.2%. A spin-off effect of population growth is a new wave of businesses – is the .CA TLD well positioned to take advantage of these favorable demographic trends?
BH: With a larger population comes new opportunities for .CA to reach new audiences and capture the attention of young and new Canadians, all of whom will be the economy’s driving force.
Even though the domain industry is mature, and growth is harder to find, there is still plenty of upside for .CA domains in Canada. Much of Canada’s population growth is happening through immigration, and our commitment to supporting the country’s multicultural communities is a critical reason why younger, values-driven consumers prefer .CA over .com.
The landscape around corporate ownership of Canadians’ digital lives is changing due to privacy, sovereignty, and control concerns. There is real potential to grow and speak to these audiences about the value of a .CA domain name and owning their own corner of the internet.
Our team is working to better understand shifting demographics and so far, the results show that business ownership and self-employment rates are generally higher among new Canadians. And if conversations around U.S. tariffs have shown us one thing, it is that .CA is still the best way to declare that you are Canadian online, and that’s why we will continue to champion that message.
OP: Can you tell us about the Canadian market overall – from the outside it’s one that feels large, yet quite “local” in terms of the support for Canadian businesses. Is this reflected in the way .CA is viewed by both entrepreneurs and consumers alike?
BH: U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods have given rise to a new wave of Canadian pride in both entrepreneurs and consumers alike. The percentage of Canadians that say they are “very proud to be Canadian” has jumped by 10 points in recent months. Additionally, CIRA’s research shows that the number one reason that buyers choose .CA is to declare that they are proudly Canadian, which is now more important than ever. .CA domains are also important for Canadian consumers as they see it as an iconic symbol of Canada on the internet that helps them easily find Canadian businesses to support. What’s more, 85% of Canadians prefer to be on a .CA site over a .com when supporting local businesses.
OP: For domain resellers who have yet to add .CA to their portfolio, why is now the right time to make the move? And how can CIRA help resellers be successful with .CA domains?
BH: There’s never been a better time to sell .CA!
For Canadian businesses, the time to show their Canadian pride online is now – especially when it comes to e-commerce and online shopping. The brewing trade war between the U.S. and Canada has sparked Canadian consumers to support all things Canadian or find a local alternative to American brands.
Many businesses are looking for ways to show their customers they are Canadian and are turning to .CA as an easy and affordable way to do so. After all, 85% of Canadians prefer to be on a .CA website over a .com, according to a study done by the Strategic Counsel.
This is why it’s important that those domain resellers who have yet to add .CA to their portfolio make the move today.
CIRA knows the Canadian market well and is here to help resellers be successful. We have a growing roster of resellers and are seeing positive return on ad spend in many of our reseller marketing campaigns. Through co-marketing initiatives, CIRA has the expertise to help you put more .CAs in the hands of Canadians.
OP: As a brand, can you tell us the strengths of .CA? How is it perceived online in an age of globalization and e-commerce? How can resellers communicate the unique value of .CA domains to their customers?
BH: According to our research, .CA is perceived online by SMEs as being safe, trusted, and professional. It’s still the only domain extension that identifies most brands as Canadian. To keep .CA Canadian, we have Canadian Presence Requirements to ensure only Canadian citizens and/or permanent residents with a physical presence in Canada can register .CA domains. This way, consumers can trust that they are interacting with a real Canadian business.
Resellers can communicate the value of .CA through many outlets, including our branding on their websites, sharing blog posts, newsletter outreach, and more. When you run partnership campaigns with CIRA, we are there to help registrars and resellers create content and campaigns that best resonate and reach our target audiences. We also share our data, research claims, and audience targeting to help create effective marketing campaigns.
OP: Cybersecurity is top of the agenda for many businesses, especially as data security threats have become more international in nature. You say, “To help protect Canadian organizations from rising threats, we have created innovative and robust solutions to stay one step ahead of the bad guys.” Can you tell us about these solutions?
BH: CIRA not only supports 38% of all TLDs on the internet right now, but we also provide Canadian solutions designed for our local challenges.
By building a trusted internet for all Canadians, we ensure it is stable, safe, and reliable with tools like CIRA Canadian Shield – a free public DNS for Canadians to stay protected from ransomware, malware, and phishing attacks. Our enterprise-grade version, CIRA DNS Firewall is designed for organizations without malware protection. The DNS filtering mechanism can help avoid connecting to malicious sites, ensuring a safer browsing experience. It also allows organizations to control what content can be accessed on their networks, enhancing overall security. Employees and individual Canadians can grow their cybersecurity knowledge, including spotting and evading personal attacks, such as phishing emails with CIRA Cybersecurity Awareness Training. Both services are highly effective, low maintenance, and affordable for small businesses.
OP: Lastly, looking ahead to the rest of 2025 and beyond, can you give us some reasons for optimism around the .CA ccTLD?
BH: The “Buy Canada” sentiment generated by the threat of U.S. tariffs is already creating a mindset shift that benefits entrepreneurs and consumers alike.
Canadians are looking to support local businesses, and there is nothing more Canadian than a .CA domain. So, despite economic uncertainty and changes in the domain market, we’re optimistic about 2025!
Our new marketing strategy, which puts additional emphasis on our channel partners and conversion-focused activities, is also starting to show benefits. CIRA fundamentally believes that even in a mature industry, there is still room for .CA to grow and that there is untapped potential in the Canadian market.
By leveraging our data, exploring new audiences, and implementing new tools for marketing measurement, we’re refining our go-to-market strategies. We’re confident these changes will position us well for the future as we continue to champion .CA, and work towards building a trusted internet for all Canadians.
Conclusion
The .CA domain is in demand – registrations at Openprovider were up 109% in January 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
For anyone wondering why they should buy .CA domains with Openprovider, the answer is easy: resellers can use Openprovider Membership to access all their .CA domains at wholesale price.
At the time of writing, Openprovider Members get their .CA domains with a 34% discount on our regular price! With a handful of .CA domains, the subscription pays for itself.
And with our limited-time offer, you can become a Member today with 90% off your first year’s subscription!
And here’s how our prices stack up against some of our competitors.
Byron Holland (MBA, ICD.D) is the president and chief executive officer of CIRA, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, which manages the .CA domain and develops cybersecurity, DNS, and registry services.
