or perhaps it's because where the colonies first landed and established hundreds of years before moving out west? trade has always existed between nations but canada very much has always had its own rich trade routes that all go back to our eastern coast. the interior like ab and sk were fucking harsh and took a long time to tame into the vast farmland we have now, and ab's oil required some advancements in refinement before it could truly blossom into the industry it is today that basically of canada relies on. we became a permanent settlement at basically the same time but the weather requires a certain fortitude to stay up here especially in those days.
Canada