Romantic Quebec outspends the rest of Canada on Valentine’s Day by a long shot

Moneris VP Sean McCormick speaks about a report that found Quebec spends more than anyone in Canada on Valentine's Day.

If you’re planning on buying a bouquet of flowers on Friday in Quebec, be prepared for a line and a lack of stock at the florist.

Quebecers spend more on Valentine’s Day than any province in Canada -- and by a wide margin.

A report from the commerce provider Moneris found that spending on the annual day for chocolate, flowers and dining out at restaurants increased by 64 per cent on Feb. 14 in Quebec last year.

That number is 18 per cent above the national average (46 per cent), and nine per cent higher than the next highest province of Saskatchewan.

Romantics in B.C. increased spending the least at 26 per cent on that Friday in 2025 against the Friday the week prior.

“What we know is that Valentine’s Day is definitely a spending event,” said Moneris vice president of business development Sean McCormick. “The Hallmark holiday is kind of the moniker for it, but it definitely gets Canadians out spending money.”

Moneris tracks how people spend at restaurants, florists and on general gifts leading up to the day and compares that data to spending a week prior.

“When we look at it that way, the spending is significant. It’s right up there with the Black Fridays, the Boxing Days of the holiday seasons across Canada,” said McCormick.

This rose-coloured spending splurge happens every year despite other surveys finding many are concerned about the cost of dating.

The BMO Real Financial Progress index found that nearly half of single Canadians (49 per cent) do not believe dating is financially worth it.

On average, the index found, Canadians spend $174 to get ready, get to, and go on said date, which could include tickets, food, drinks or other expenses.

A third (33 per cent) of singles will change or adjust date plans for financial reasons, and almost a quarter (24 per cent) cancelled a date to save money.

Quebecers love spending on love... and flowers

Nowhere in the country is this spending as intense as in La Belle Province.

“Quebec loves Valentine’s Day, a 64 per cent increase in total spend on Valentine’s Day versus the same day one week prior. That is phenomenal,” said McCormick.

One thing Quebecers love to spend on is flowers.

Quebec’s increase in spending leading up to Valentine’s Day at florists is 567 per cent.

Poetically, those in the Wild Rose province of Alberta also like to spend in flower shops with an increase of 522 per cent, according to Moneris.

B.C. (350 per cent), Atlantic Canada (311 per cent) and Ontario (221 per cent) show the lowest increase in spending at florists in the first weeks of February.

“I find the regional variances interesting,” said McCormick. “They’re only selling twice as many roses in Toronto, and in Montreal, they’re selling five and a half times as many. I don’t know what that says about the difference between the people who live in Toronto and Montreal, but I’ll let you fill in the blanks.”

Quebec romantics, it seems, are willing to spend more and more in February, according to the Moneris data.

In 2025, Valentine’s Day spending increased by 26 per cent, and in restaurants, diners spent over a quarter more (27 per cent) than they did in 2024.

Those numbers were again higher than the Canadian average of 20 per cent for total spending and 21 per cent at restaurants.

Here is the increase in spending on Valentine’s Day across Canada: