If you are aged 30 or younger, getting a work permit won't be a problem, as you can likely qualify for a 'working holiday' visa (Canada has reciprocal privileges with Australia). See generally
here and
here. There are a limited number of places (7,500 per year), so you'll want to get your application in as soon as possible in January, 2005. Contact the Canadian High Commission in Canberra (tel. 9364 3000), or the consulate in Perth (tel. 08-9322-7931), for more information.
As far as actually finding employment goes, you can probably get a (very low-paying) job here as a junior instructor, if you have (or are willing to get) an instructor's rating. If you want to work in the bush, you'll probably need at least 25 hours on floats, with the more the better. ME or instrument experience would be somewhat helpful, but not particularly relevant and certainly not necessary for entry-level jobs. See further
here for helpful advice.
Good luck!
MLS
P.S. Doubtless plenty of Canadians will tell you not to come, there aren't enough jobs to go around, etc. etc.; but you
might get lucky, and what do you have to lose?
P.P.S. You might enjoy Robert S. Grant's book,
Bush Flying: The Romance of the North (see
here for extracts).