BJJ Academies in Canada.

Canada's BJJ scene is anchored by deep ties to two of the sport's most decorated lineages. Carlson Gracie Sr.'s influence runs through Marcus Soares — a 9th-degree black belt under Carlson — who taught his first Vancouver class on April 7, 1997 and is described on his site as the first BJJ black belt to teach in Canada. Bruno Fernandes, a Carlos Gracie Jr. black belt, opened Gracie Barra Montreal in 2010 and famously promoted UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre to BJJ black belt in September 2008. GSP's longtime training home, Tristar Gym in Montreal's Le Triangle borough, is run by head coach Firas Zahabi (BJJ black belt under John Danaher, awarded 2011).

The country is well-connected to the international circuit. The IBJJF holds the Toronto International Open every September at Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (the 2025 edition ran September 13–14). The Canadian Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (CBJJF), based in Port Coquitlam, BC, runs provincial Opens including the Rocky Mountain Classic. Grappling Industries — Canadian-founded in Quebec in 2011 — runs round-robin events in Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary.

Major academies cluster around the big metros: Tristar Gym and Gracie Barra Montreal in Quebec; Marcus Soares BJJ in Vancouver, Langley and Maple Ridge; Gracie Barra West Downtown Toronto (521 Adelaide St W) and Gracie Barra Toronto East (68 Railside Rd); Gracie Barra Calgary (10-8989 Macleod Trail SW); plus Carlson Gracie–branded academies in Calgary and Montreal.