Google Code Jam and Quebec

2009 Google Code Jam is announced.

But that’s not really a reason for a blog post. In the Rules section I found the following clause:

You are not a national or resident of any of the following countries or provinces: Burma (Myanmar), Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Quebec, Sudan and Syria, or anywhere where the contest is prohibited by law. Burma (Myanmar), Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria are restricted by US export controls and sanctions programs and are therefore not eligible to participate in Code Jam. Google reserves the right to relax any of these restrictions if permitted by law before the start of the Qualification Round.

It is interesting to see Quebec (Canada) in the same list with countries that are restricted by US export controls and sanctions. Google does not offer any explanation, but I found s Google Group Discussion that sheds some light.