Really confused! Please help with Breaking into Canadian IB- With a US undergrad and CAD master's

Hello everyone- long time listener, first time caller. I was an international student in the US at a semi-target school but did not manage to break into IB as an undergrad. Decided to work in (non- M&A) consulting at a Big-4 for a year before leaving the US due to not being selected in the H1-B draw.

I recently completed a Master's in Acc & Fin from a non-target school (since the whole thing was done in a rush during the pandemic) in Canada and managed to get a couple of 1st round IB interviews but no offer last year. Been working in Ops consulting in Canada and really would like to switch to a transactions-focused role asap. I recently cleared CFA L1 and preparing to sit for L2 next spring.

Canada's job market for high finance has been a lot more brittle than I initially thought and I know breaking into IB is unlikely but are there roles I can realistically shoot for that would feed into a transactions/m&a team in the next 2-3 years? If so, what would these roles be and how do I go about networking for these? Keeping in mind I don't have a alumni network or personal connections in Canada to rely upon. Really appreciate the advice, thank you!