Read through this thread and have some pointers as a fellow Canadian black powder shooter.
I went down the road briefly with black powder substitutes and while I did get decent performance out of them, you will get BETTER and more reliable ignition with real black powder.
Forget about importing it yourself, incredibly expensive to do so on a personal level if you can even find somewhere that will ship it. I get my BP from a local gun shop. No firearms license required in Canada to get BP off the shelf.
I cast my own roundball and bullets. Again, even after a couple hundred bucks for a good Lee melting pot and a couple molds it beats off the shelf rounds and shipping costs very quickly. I use large bags of birdshot, from the same gun shop, for melting.
Contrary to some other posts there are no issues other than a company refusing to ship to Canada in regards to importing a flintlock. I ordered my Kentucky 50.cal from Dixie Gun Works and it was here in 2 weeks. No questions asked and I didn't even get hit with the Canada Post duty fees. Bonus. Of course they DID open it at the border, but it didn't hold anything up.
I own a India Pattern Brown Bess from the same source as Discriminating General / Military Heritage. Yes, they are rough & made in India. Unsafe, NO. I shoot blanks and regular loads from both historical paper cartridge and patched roundball at the gun range and have very solid, reliable performance. The reenactor guys around here love their products too. If you're a perfectionist with an eye for craftsmanship and detail I can understand not wanting one. They aren't wall hangers though.
I do not own but I have held and inspected the Baker offered from MH / DG, the same company as my Bess. It's of better construction overall than the Bess but again it's not perfect. What it is, though, is very sturdy & solid. These are military guns meant to bash and hit with a 12 inch bayonet while not breaking in half. If you're inclined to do so, you can with confidence (I've taken out my fair share of road pylons, may they rest in pieces)
Enjoy making big smokey booms