Historically, Canada has never really swung wildly in any sector. Housing, tech, business, natural resources, etc. the only "dominant" is natural resources and it provides a nice base. But, the economic swings have been minor compared to here in the US.

Sure they have had RIM and Nortel which have both, basically, gone bust. Beyond that, I can't really think of any big Canadian tech company. A number of companies have/have had satellite offices in Canada -- Microsoft (Richmond/Surrey) and Nokia (Kanata) come to mind. But, the country, it's resources, and culture are pretty diverse -- BC differs from Ontario which differs from Quebec. In some ways, I feel the US is much more homogenous than Canada.

That said, I've known a few startups in Canada (mainly Vancouver) over the years. However, there hasn't been a critical mass. From my observation, Vancouver has more ties with LA (business-wise) than Silicon Valley -- more media heavy than tech.

I'm not sure complacence has anything to do with it, there just hasn't been a critical mass in any one area.