Good post evansb, you have really summarized the culture accurately.
I lived in Quebec City for 8 years.
I do not feel unsafe in Quebec City or Montreal airspace. The controllers are very good. It is in the uncontrolled regions where a flight service specialist is translating position reports to an english and french aircraft near a control zone. You are both closing at 9 miles a minute wanting to land at same airport. If FSS guy is poor in english or slow on the radio, then it is very uncomfortable.
I think it is the ATC system that is the most important thing. Some countries not only have poor english speakers , but have poor Air Traffic Controllers.
I often think of the Tenerife accident and the poor communication between everyone.
Good luck in your decision on where to train. There are many excellent airports in the Toronto area where one can learn.
