Aren't all of these companies based in the United States? I mean yeah it sucks Canada can't use some of these applications, but why doesn't Canada start their own similar services to run in their country?
Because the Internet is supposed to 'flatten' the world, and it does in basically all cases except where money or media licences are involved. Which is annoying, because while I can happily read the New York Times while not living in New York I can't work with many of the internet businesses that reside there.