In this sense, a certain political and historical experience common to the entire population does exist and may hold Canada together. Despite its history, one cannot deny the existence of two distinct forces, one British oriented, and the other French oriented. While the latter manifests itself in terms of secessionist ideas, British Canada and in general supporters of the unity of Canada have developed a sense of nationalism. The term defines in fact, "two phenomena: the attitude that the members of a nation have when they care about their national identity and the actions that the members of a nation take when seeking to achieve (or sustain) self-determination" (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2005). In Canada, these two phenomena manifest at the same time but in relation to other systems of reference. More precisely, the first notion of the term implies the fact that nationalism is used to hold the population together, in spite of the separatist attempts made in the francophone area of Quebec. On the other hand, the second idea of the notion defines the actions undergone by the separatists who seek to create an independent francophone state in Quebec. No matter...

According to the traditional international law regulations, it does have a sovereign territory and an independent state authority. Therefore, politically, it does represent a state.
The question that remains to be answered refers to the extent in which Canada is a nation state. despite theoretical analysis, only the future can determine that.

Bibliography

Lehan, Claire. Commentary: Separatism Is an Issue for All of Canada, Not Just Quebec. January 25, 2006. The Record.com. 21 Jan. 2008 http://www.therecord.com/fed_election2006/fed_election2006_0601258115.html

Rosenberg, Matt. Country, State, and Nation. Defining an Independent Country. 2008. 21 Jan. 2008 http://geography.about.com/cs/politicalgeog/a/statenation.htm

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Nationalism. 2005. 21 Jan. 2008 http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nationalism