Words mean what people choose them to mean. Of course the word "state" is pretty ambiguous too, what with that mass of "states" to the south of Canada, all within one political union and constituting "one nation" - but also containing a large number of other nations, such as the Navajo Nation.

The future position of Quebec in relationship to the rest of Canada is something for the people of Quebec to decide, just as is the case for Scotland in relation to the other parts of the United Kingdom. In either case those wishing for the existing political union to continue would be unwise to to pretend that these are not already "nations".

"The term "nation" in relation to England and Scotland is not part of our consciousness" - well, you say it and you live there, memyself. But there are an awful lot of Scots in Canada, and I've never come across a Scot, from Canada or any other part of the world, who has expressed any doubt that Scotland is indeed a nation.