Canadian YC alums alone would be more than sufficient to provide the capital for this, if necessary.

I don't think that it has anything to do with there not being enough capital available in Canada but rather the risk tolerance of most Canadian investors.

I wouldn't be surprised if those YC alumni were hesitant to make more bets on the startup roulette wheel. I'm not saying that venture capital/angel investing is gambling per se but most Canadians, even past startup founders, probably see it that way.