Rubberbiscuit's and
typhoonpilot's responses underscore one of the fundamental ills in the Canadian pilot profession-- the one-up-manship and macho bush pilot romance syndrome that has largely broken down the professional comeraderie amongst pilots in the Canadian airline industry.
I often hear these chest thumping stories, usually preceeded by the words "back up North we used to . . . " whenever another pilot brings up a grievance. Make no mistake. Even in Canada, pilot groups like IFALPA has raised their concerns about flight and duty time limits, which were arrived at with little scientific input from research groups like NASA who have studied the phenonemon.
It is foolhardy to use "the Canadian experience" as a litmus test for everything that happens in aviation. There are actually few positives that can be drawn from the working environment of the Canadian aviation industry-- little wonder that so many are plying the trade throughout Asia and in other parts of the world.