I guess if the question is how a consumer can authenticate a business they're transacting with, I think that goes to fundamental questions of digital literacy.
I don't think there can be any one authoritative registry of businesses throughout Canada, but there are any number of tools that a savvy web consumer can use to help authenticate the identity of the business they're transacting with. You can look at who has registered the domain name. You can look at whether you're transacting with somebody who's providing a secure connection. To secure a connection--that is, to provide an encrypted connection--an operator will have to have gone to a certificate issuer who then authenticates their existence. Then they can get an encryption certificate.
So you can look at hallmarks like that. The importance of doing that will depend on the kind of transaction being entered into, the money at stake, and the comfort of the individual. But there are any number of tools an individual can employ in protecting themselves.