I have to 2nd Dunster on the ABM Innova. Agree also on being able to service the machine yourself with their 24/7/365 phone support and most of all ABM is a company that stands behind their machines and go above and beyond to ensure their customers are happy, you will find no better after market support than Innova and the machine is a true workhorse and built to the standards of an industrial grade machine (which is where they started and still have an industrial division). These machines can power through leather (leather quilting is very popular right now) and they aren't fussy about thread, mine has taken every thread I have thrown at it and I love to experiment with different threads. Many big name show quilters are switching over to Innova because the stitch quality is so fabulous, coupled with the responsiveness of the lightening stitch.
True there are no dealers near you in Canada the closest dealer would be the one in Geneseo NY. They are a new dealer
https://mikalasquilting.blog/
Ideally you want to be able to test drive many different machines to see what you like best and for that, your best bet is a larger quilt show. Canada has a major national show every year I believe. But I think it is in different locations. The Vermont Quilt Festival, held every June in Essex Junction Vermont would be very easy day trip for you from Montreal and most of the LA brands are there.
https://vqf.org/
Most people research and test drive for about a year. I know I did when I got mine back in 2010. Like Dunster, I also upgraded to the Lightning Stitch regulator after I had my machine for quite some time (I finally did it last year). The L/S regulator was definitely worth it so if you go with Innova, get the L/S up front. Well worth the extra cost, plus if ever upgrade to robotics it requires the L/S. Speaking of upgrades, another great feature of Innova, you can easily add on or upgrade to all of their models, many manufacturers you can't do that. Also their frame is heavy duty made with aircraft grade aluminum and highly customizable plus it has a great feature where you can lift the front bar to check to make sure your batting is nice and smooth with every advance. And it does have a deadbar which I agree with Macybaby is a wonderful and to me indispensable feature. Innova's frame was a big selling point for me and even more so now that I have one.