Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Hello all,

Never would I have thought that I would have spent this much time researching vacuums, however here I am.  My mother had been using a $300 or so Bay brand vacuum for the last five or more years and the cord retract broke.  My father decided to buy her a bissell upright bagless to replace it.  She hates it more than anything as it's very, very heavy and tough to lug up and down the stairs. 

I want to buy her a new canister style vacuum and was hoping to spend in the $300-$400 range.  There are no pets in the house and it'll be used on mostly medium pile carpet and some lino.  It would ideally be fairly light with good suction.  I'm in Canada if that matters at all :)

I look forward to your educated recommendations.

Thanks,

Tawheed