Henckels makes pretty good knife sets. Canadian Tire carries them, though I’d only really recommend buying there when they have their usual 40-70% off sales. Probably not that helpful since you’re looking to buy right now, but now you know!
Don't buy Henkels at Canadian Trash. There's a very wide range of Henkel knives, and the best come from stores like the Bay and Williams Sonoma and are made in Germany. Chef grade Henkels are from Spain and the junk at Canadian Tire is from China. A top Henkel is about $200. A full knife block at Canadian Tire is $200.
For what it’s worth my self-sharpening block from CT uses German steel assembled in India.
Depending on how close you are to you friends you can look at Grohman
https://grohmannknives.com/index.php/products/kitchen
The are based on Nova Scotia.
I like Knifewear. Been buying knives and etc from them for a long time time.
I'll happily second the recommendation for Knifewear. They sell heirloom-quality cutting tools.
If you're in or around Vancouver, I highly recommend the Gourmet Warehouse (https://gourmetwarehouse.ca/). Knowledgeable staff, good selection, and they allow you to test the knives before you purchase them.
[Edit] I just read that you are not in Canada, my bad for missing that. Will leave this up as a recommendation for other people looking for a kitchen knife though. If you want to order a good set of knives online, I can recommend House of Knives: https://houseofknives.ca/