I've thought this about Russia for a long, long time now, and I'm beginning to think the same thing about Canada: I think that, at some point, it's going to become a major world power - not a military power, but an economic power. Any large, sparsely populated country with tremendous natural resources has the potential to do so, and after Russia, Canada might be #2 in this regard.
One might also think that, with the potential decline in a carbon-based economy, natural resources may become less important than technology, but in the long term, I'm not so sure about that - plus, technology can be copied.
Call me a conservative (in the true meaning of the word), but I like the potential for Canada - it is perhaps the country I most admire; if only it wasn't so darned cold.