The concentration of British colonies along the coast and French colonies in the interior is clear from this map. The Canada Act of 1791 created separate colonies of Upper and Lower Canada. These were joined together by the Act of Union of 1841 in response to Lord Durham's report. Manitoba joined in 1870 and British Columbia became a province in 1871. This created a country with a large gap in the middle.
Subsequent policies encourage the settlement of immigrant farmers transported by railroad.