Dockjock,
i did not mean to offend you before and i apologize if i did. What i am trying to say is that you have the luck to be born in an amazing country, multicultural, full of opportunity for people all over the world that cannot do anything but fall in love for the cities, the nice peoples and the wonderful north.
The country is so vast and the population dansity so low, that aviation is the backbone of transportation, supply of goods and sometimes medical care.
It seems than for me very unfair that a CN driver or a TTC bus driver make 3 times more money than a pilot with little investment in licence, endorsment, medicals, ratings, etc. somehow it seem to me unfair, also because i belive that a fair pay and a fair teatment brings to a better and safer aviation. How? well i have a bunch of friend weitering until late in the night and fly during the day, continuosly worrying about paying bills. As we all know stress is a big factor for aviation safety.
I also belive that conpany that underpay pilots to stay afloat and hire pilot to work in the ramp grabbing them by the balls brings to unsafe enviroment, where people keep thei mouth shut when see something wrong . Good companies now has to compete with bad ones and that make their expansion more difficult, and this means less "goos job" for everybody.
I come from a wonderful country, i can go back anytime but i fell in love for Canada and i wonder why so many people come here to find opportunity but canadian pilots have to look for opportunity somewhere else, often in 3rd world contry!!!!!
You can travel everywhere in Europe with a train or a bus, still pilot are treated fairly, Canadian pilots are too important and too good to be treated like amateurs.