1. I would love to believe this statement Ringer, but I think the only reason Canada has not spear headed the Ring is because we really are not the leaders here.  Instead, we are the followers.  Big money from China and the US are telling us what to do next, and when to do it.  The problem I see is that Canada is caught in the middle of this power struggle, where both of these countries are looking to control the Ring, and the flow of money and commodities coming from it.
2.  I don't believe for a second that the FN care about the roads connecting them to the rail.  This is not how they will want to get around in my opinion. To them the rail is needed for the Ring to succeed, and will in turn make them rich, improve their lifestyles, and reduce the cost of goods and necessities coming from the south. 
3. The Chinese are just taking the direct approach to doing business with Canada by courting KWG and the FN, which I do agree will encourage both the provincial and federal governments to show their financial backing for the Ring.  But again, I don't see our Canadian government being the smart ones here, instead I see them as the lackies collecting a fraction of what the Ring is worth while these two countries exploit us.

Just my thoughts.

TM.