From ClicZune:

[...]In an internal e-mail, Canadian employees of Microsoft were told not to expect their Zune for the holidays. Period!

Legal and contractual issues with music publishers related to the Zune pass and sharing capabilities are giving the Zune team headaches these days. We could not have specific information on other countries, but Microsoft is probably facing the same kind of issues in other parts of the world.[...]

And below is the statement from the begining of November:

“They (Zune team) will be working on rolling out the Zune in the UK and Europe with its compatible Zune Market place,” said Dene Schonknecht, media and entertainment alliance manager at Microsoft. “We haven’t yet selected a music store provider to build marketplace in the UK, which means we’re way off launch.”

I can't say there is a connection for sure between these two. But it certainly does match the above story.

The good news is: Microsoft also told their Canadian employees that they will have the chance to buy the Zune at $225CAD ($200USD) when it becomes available in Canada.

Canadians won't have Zune as a gift for Christmas but  they will buy it cheaper. Time is money!

links: ClicZune about Canada | Dene Schonknecht comment