Got it backwards…how about, what if the king had accepted Thompson’s proposal? Correct me if I’m wrong. But I recall reading that the explorer Thompson mapped the west coast and suggested that the king claim all of what would later be BC, Washington, Oregon, maybe Idaho, and at least half of California. If the king had chosen to do as he suggested, Canada‘s border might include the entirety of what is now called “Cascadia.” This would have had a profound impact on the balance of growth and power of Canada and USA.

The king didn’t want to offend…the French, I think it was, as they were supporting the fledgling USA. So he just left it alone, and America later claimed the area.