AYoungWarthog said
Two things, mate. 1. If you NPC Russia, you could still PLAY Canada, if you so please. 2. If you PLAY Russia, then you'll need someone to either take Canada or NPC Canada. :)
If it's possible, I'd like to take the latter option - I'd rather play Russia over Canada, and the person I have lined up is ready to take over as the Canadians.