canada is in a good position to deal with it's national debt...even though it has government funded universal health care, the canuck federal government still managed to record a budget surplus every year for the past ten years, and pay down it's national debt by about 25% (while the usa increased it's national debt by 90%)

as of march 2008, the canadian national debt was $457 billion, and it's GDP was $1.2 trillion, so the debt/GDP ration is 38%, and the percapita debt is $13,800

in comparison, the US debt/GDP ratio is 77%, and the per capita debt is $33,500

you have to adjust that comparison even more in canada's favour because the canadian dollar is only worth 90 cents US at the moment

Canadian economy online