@ Bud: Kirkland (Costco) powder sold in the USA has the blue oval "HE" logo (not sure if that is copyrighted or who exactly authorizes its use, but...) and the package says "for both top loading and front loading machines". They simply advise using less for FLs. I've never purchased it, but from what others have posted here, perhaps it's a low sudsing detergent that performs adequately in FLs, rather than a sudsy TL detergent that clearly is not suited for FL use. Still, I have qualms about using a product that claims to be designed for both types of machines.
If the Kirkland detergent you see in Canada lacks the "HE" logo, I can think of several explanations:
1. They sell a different variety of Kirkland detergent in Canada
or
2. Perhaps the HE logo is copyrighted and Canada could have stricter laws regarding who may display the logo on the package.
When I bought my FL six years ago, you'd see the HE logo on a package with a list of the manufacturers who recommended the detergent: Miele, Bosch, Frigidaire, Maytag, Whirlpool, etc. Nowadays, you don't see the manufacturers' logos next to the HE so much any more. I wonder if use of the HE oval was tightly controlled in the past and perhaps now anyone (in the USA) can print a box with the logo, claiming to be specially formulated for FLs. If Canada's labeling laws are stricter than in the USA, that might explain why you don't see the logo on Kirkland boxes.