The directory says dozens. In practice there are four.

A member directory tells you who claims a category. It does not tell you who holds a current certification, who has passed a prime audit before, or who has a spare shift to give you. Those questions decide whether a supplier is real.

A shortlist that holds

Eight to twelve named firms per category, checked against your actual requirement rather than the category label.

Proof, not claims

What each holds, when it was last renewed, and whether they have been through a prime process before.

Real capacity

Who can take your volume this year and who is already committed. This is what kills most shortlists.

The honest gap

Where Canada genuinely cannot supply you, so you can make the case internally in month one rather than month eight.

You finish with a shortlist that survives qualification, and a defensible answer when procurement asks why.