Potential for what, pray tell? Everyone around the world except us ignorant americans knows that since it's creation as a nation, Canada has been one of the leaders in global peace keeping missions. They do spend less on their military than anyone else but thats because they dont waste their resources fighting anyone. notice how you never heard of terroists in canada until after Harper became PM in canada and started backing hawkish ambitions. Instead of blowing their money on troops to fight countries that pose no realistic threat to their interests, Canada uses their money to pay for services on their people. Yes the waiting list for life or death surgery in canada is long but it is here in the us too (ask anyone who needs a heart or kidney) but everyone gets a general checkup. you can go to any of their physicians if u break a leg and taxes cover that. u know, we could do the same thing if instead of spending $360 billion on a military budget a year - not countnig the extra spending bills for the war. just the standard average military budget in america - (as opposed to Britains equivalent of $40 billion as the second most expensive military) we could spend, say $80 billion on military, still be twice as big as britains military, and have $280 billion dollars. That would cover a pretty good basic national health care plan to go along side privatized health care for those with auxilary insurance dont you think? Thats where canada's, switzerland's, Sweden's, and Netherland's "potential" goes. into their National Interest aka the purpose of their government in the first place.
as for no one helping us, everyone knows its like vietnam in the desert, only this tme the enemy has more factions and has more allied ( radical muslims). The only way to defeat the insurgency is to carpet nuke iraq, level, pave over it, and build a big ass walmart in the middle. and all that will do is piss off the rest of the muslims and anyone else withing range of the fall out. Its called a Pyrrhic victory. Look it up http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhic_victory
TL;DR Canada isn't "wasting shit", its doing what its supposed to be doing and no ne wants to help america in Iraq because failWar is FAIL.