We tried to build in Europe and America as well; the economics are just hard. In the US there was very little market for carbon, which is why I said "even in Canada" since there is a regulated price for carbon here.
The plants were mostly in Alberta, where NG is cheap but there is no hydro.
Was this Canada specific? A country with both very abundant native oil & gas and abundant hydro energy with nuclear power plants in place to boot.
Not every country in the world has such abundant energy sources on tap.