Muv Luv Alternative: Desparation

Most of the poplulation centers of Canada are along the border with the USA, with several standouts near major waterways. Canada is mostly a vast expanse of temperate forest, frosty tundra, and evergreen wilderness, with glaciers and frozen islands breaking off the land to the north. They share a close bond through their colonial roots with both the United Kingdom and France, housing refugees from both respective countries as well as others, going so far as to allow regions for the foreign nations' provisional governments to coordinate from. Large swaths of the western territories, especially around Athabasca in Saskatchewan province, have been rendered uninhabitable for many years following the attempted BETA landing in 1974 and subsequent nuclear strikes by the USA. These strikes, while ultimately removing the threat of the BETA from the entirety of the western hemisphere, has significantly scarred relations between Canada and the United States.