+No protectionist measures?
When Amazon set up shop in Canada they had to buy the books from Chapters because tbey weren't allowed to ship from the US.
To sell ebooks, they have to have deals with the local publishers and distribute those versions, not the US versions.
Canada's "cultural protectionism" is legendary. It works a lof like Japan's manufacturing protectionism, not by overt laws, but by covert regulation and bureucratic foot-dragging by the deep state establishment.
And most of it is greased by Indigo/Chapters influence peddling as documented by the Canadian media.
(Try looking into the history of B&N and Borders in Canada.)
Just one example:
http://bookshopblog.com/2010/12/28/h...ll-book-store/
All that said, none of this means that today's Kobo hardware or bookstore are substandard.
Just that their management doen't have and never had any stomach for free and open competition. Just look to Tamblyn's fierce and prolonged kneejerk battle against the slap-on-the-wrist minimal "penalties" of the agency conspiracy in Canada. They made zero difference but they fought tooth and nail. And still griped after the watered down version that came.
Even when it is meaningless they want it their way.