Also drive around and you'll find that not all land is created equal. Much of Canada muskeg, tundra, and just awful places to be, which is why no one lives there.

British Columbia looks big on a map, turn on the topographic layer and oops it's all mountain. No wonder everyone lives in a handful of tiny valleys. And oops we flooded tons of the valleys for hydro power too, further driving down the actual available prime land one can live on.

If no one lives in a place there's usually a good reason.