There is no pilot shortage thats for sure! Flight schools are pumping out more pilots than are jobs. Many of them are working on the docks or ramps. Thats because we fly in a large country, where most of it is remote, just rocks, trees and water, the insurance requirements are high and thats why it seems there is a pilot shortage, but we have more pilots than we can employ at the moment and just like in the UK, Nationals will get first crack at the job. There is no conversion in canada, its more like credits. You may have to write some tests and do some flight tests, its pretty much like converting a Canadian licence to JAR.