Canada is Australia, an relatively affluent bureaucracy that sells rocks and houses. We have too many people to be Norway, where less people, a few high tier sectors and plundering the land for other markets can sustain developed QoL. But we could do ok on that model if we keep population down and build up a few strategic sectors. Except or interests are more subsumed by US foreign policy so we can't sell all the rocks we want. See the foreign NGO meddling that repeately killed Canada fossil expansion plans. Meanwhile US gets first dibs on global English talent, and Canadian English talent. And ultimately Canadian giants get cut down to size - Nortel, Bombardier due to sheninangans. But being US neighbour/sphere is better starting condition than most, but it's still hard map to play on.